


first real smile

by localdeatheater



Category: Criminal Minds (US TV), Criminal Minds RPF
Genre: Background Relationships, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Eventual Happy Ending, Eventual Romance, F/F, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-14
Updated: 2021-02-01
Packaged: 2021-02-27 09:02:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 14
Words: 71,452
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22254586
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/localdeatheater/pseuds/localdeatheater
Summary: after having her heart broken and her best friend leaving without a word, lucy copeland returned to the bau six months later to resign; yet she is met with open arms from the team and an unfamiliar raven haired woman after her own heart. will she stay and open her heart again?emily prentiss x oceventual jeid and morciawork in progress
Relationships: Elle Greenaway/Orginal Female Character(s), Emily Prentiss/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 18
Kudos: 51





	1. lost

**Author's Note:**

> hey guys, this is my first CM fanfic. i wrote this for fun and it's probably trash bc that's my life :') anyways hope ya'll enjoy :))
> 
> i don't own CM, just my OC <3

She was sat at home, curled up on the sofa, tears still forming in her eyes. It had been many months since her best friend and long-time crush Elle Greenaway had left the team and the FBI, moving away to not be heard from again. Even after spending hours by Elle's bedside in the hospital, holding her hand and not sleeping, eating or leaving until she woke up. She knew that Elle had issues after what happened, who wouldn't? But she still decided to give up and leave, and not leaving a trace of evidence of where she was going next.

They were both the BAU's 'Unofficial' couple. Everyone watched them dance around each other for nearly two and a half years, both loving each other from afar. Everyone thought after Elle getting shot, that it would finally jolt the couple into admitting their feelings, but it did the opposite. So there she was, sat at home, alone. With no trace of where her partner, best friend and crush is.

Her apartment living room was pretty quiet, other than the sound of her breathing and the TV on in the corner of the room, replaying the best episodes of FRIENDS she liked, but nothing was taking away the alone sense that hovered in this room. Along the walls, were framed pictures of her and her family. Her father and three brothers. Two older and one younger. Her younger brother, a training trauma surgeon in the army, and her two older brothers and father were mechanics at their shared auto-shop. Other framed photos were of her and her friends, college and university graduation, nights out and nights in. Everything about the apartment screamed happy and outgoing, but the sense of isolation and sadness aired around.

A loud ringing sound began echoing through the apartment. She looked up from the TV, a somewhat hopeful expression on her face, hoping that it would be Elle, calling her to say she was safe and that she would be coming back soon. So she jumped up, walked over to her cell and turned it over. She didn't even try to hide the disappointment on her face when it wasn't Elle's number on the screen, but did raise an eyebrow when it was Spencer Reid's number displaying. They'd both never been that close, but considered each other friends. Garcia normally rang to check up on her, so getting a phone call from Spencer was new.

"Copeland." She answered, her thick British accent filling the now silence in the room.

"It's Reid." Spencer replied, his voice sounding sad. Not the normal voice he answers with.

"Hey Reid. What's goi-..." She was cut off.

"He's gone." He sighed sadly over the one. Her heart rate increased rapidly, who was gone? Had someone died?

"What?? What do you mean?" The panic took over her voice.

"Gideon, he...he left a letter up at his cabin the woods for me. And another one for you. He's left the FBI and Virginia without a trace." Spencer trailed off quietly. Her heart dropped, another one of your friends had disappeared. He was the second closest person to Elle that you had, now he was gone too.

"Where are you?" She asked, her voice wavering from the fresh tears rolling down her face.

"The BAU, bullpen." He answered, a hint of confusion in his tone.

"I'm on my way, give me an hour." She replied, wiping the tears away from her face.

"Wait... You haven't been here for months are you su-..." She ends the phone call and sets the phone down on the side. For a minute, she lets the sadness consume her, sobs echoing from her mouth as the tears freely continue to fall from her dark hazel eyes. Both her best friends had disappeared and had no signs of where they were, the only two people she trusted with her life. She knew what she had to do, it was time. She had been thinking about it for a while, and now knowing that she couldn't find her place at the BAU without her best friends with her, her mind was sealed.

She grabbed the nearest pad and pen from her, and began scribbling down a letter. Her letter of resignation. She wiped away the tears so they didn't stain the page. She would take it to Strauss straight away, she needed to leave for good. Maybe start fresh somewhere else. Her father and brothers were in Seattle, maybe staying over there for a while would be a good idea? Or go stay with her mother back in England, where she knew she could depend on people. There were many possibilities for her, but she was focusing on right now. She addressed the letter and folded it neatly, placing it beside her cell phone.

She ran upstairs, into the bathroom and began to run a shower, picking up some loose clothes in her bedroom along the way. Some back skinny jeans, a grey vest top and baggy burgundy jumper. Elle used to always where that jumper when she stayed, so it smelt like her. A bitter sweet smell of her perfume, a small smile appearing on her face whilst trying to not start crying again. She got into the shower, washing herself and her long brown curls. They had been messy for the last few days and she really needed a decent haircut. 

-BAU, 30 minutes later-

She anxiously waited as the elevator slowly climbed up the floors, it felt like an old childhood home she was visiting, and one she wanted to forget. Her long brown hair had been tied into french plaits, still wet from the shower she had taken and the rain that was crashing down in Quantico. She began playing with her fingernails, her nerves slowly getting the better of her. But she was here now, and she wasn't going to run.

The elevator dinged, and the doors slid open. Taking in a deep breath, she walked out. The office was filled with its normal working hustle, but some sounds that she recognised. She couldn't help the small smile that graced her face for the first time in a while. As she turned the corner, she was met with her team, well her to be old team. Everyone was there that she knew, other than this other woman who was standing beside Garcia. As she began to get closer to the team, she noticed the woman more. Her long black hair, brown eyes and a solemn expression on her face. She was beautiful, absolutely beautiful.

"Lucy, my lovely!" Garcia cried out, noticing her. Garcia ran towards her and pulled her into a tight hug. She couldn't help but smile at the brightly dressed woman.

"Hey, Pen." She said quietly as Garcia let go of her.

"I didn't know you were coming back today," Hotch noticed, raising his eyebrow at her "Has Gideon call-..."

"No, he hasn't. Reid did. We didn't talk for long, he just said that Gideon had gone." Lucy replied sadly, looking down at her red converse on her feet. Reid got up from his seat suddenly and handed her the letter, her name written in capital letters.

"Thanks, Spencer." She said sadly, looking upon the letter.

"Have you heard anything from Elle?" JJ asked.

"No, nothing. I've still got some of her stuff at my apartment, and I've tried calling but she's swapped numbers. She doesn't want to be found, wherever she is." She replied sadly.

"So... How long are you sticking around for?" Morgan questioned.

"Wow, Morgan. Want rid of me already?" She joked, a small smirk on her face. The team and the other woman let out a few chuckles.

"No, I just get the feeling this isn't just a social visit... I'm hoping I'm wrong." Morgan sighed. Hannah went to reply but noticed the beautiful woman was staring at her.

"Sorry, just realised we haven't been introduced. Lucy Copeland." She stuck her hand out.

"Emily Prentiss, I've heard good things about you." Emily smiled, causing Lucy's cheeks to lightly blush.

"Hmm, that's debatable." Morgan smirked. Lucy rolled her eyes at him and slapped his arm lightly.

"Be careful." She warned, causing the team to chuckle again. Sadly, it was short lived. As a stern blonde woman came lurking around the corner, like a dark rain cloud.

"Agent Copeland, I wasn't aware you were coming back today." Strauss stated, looking up and down at the agent.

"I didn't plan on it, Ma'am. Gideon left me letter and I came to pick it up." Lucy said, glancing between the chief agent and the letter in between her hands.

"Rightly so, as I expect to be informed if you plan on dropping in to see the your team at any time," She raised an eyebrow suspiciously at the letter "May we continue this conversation in my office?"

"Of course." Lucy replied curtly. Her eyes wandered from the blonde to the other agents standing and sitting beside her, all wearing worried and suspicious looks on their faces. Strauss began walking away, her heels clacking along the floor.

"See you guys in a moment." She sighed, starting to follow Strauss to her office. She glanced back, to see all her team members eyes following her, including the new agent. Prentiss wore a kind smile on her face, and mouthed something towards her. "Good luck" maybe? Who knew, but she appreciated the gesture. She nodded back at the raven-haired agent, who blushed slightly, but went unnoticed by Lucy.

She turned her head back and followed Strauss into her office, where her stern expression formed into a sympathetic one. A expression she had never seen on Strauss' face, so she wasn't sure how this conversation was going to go. Shutting the door slowly behind her and then taking a seat in front of Strauss' desk, she started tapping her fingers nervously against her knee.

"You're not in any trouble, Agent Copeland," Strauss said. Lucy let out a breath she didn't even know she was holding in "Quite the opposite actually, I've been meaning to call into your apartment and check on you after what happened to Agent Greenaway, and now Agent Gideon. I know how close you were to both of them."

Lucy frowned and then raised an eyebrow "I'm fine, ma'am."

"That would be why you took 3 months leave of absence then, and then another 3 months after that when you refused to come back." Strauss responded quickly, raising her eyebrow back at the younger agent.

"I want to discuss the possibility of you coming back to the BAU, part-time or full-time." She stated, getting straight to the point. Her eyes widened and her palms became sweaty, knowing that this was the time she was going to hand her resignation in and leave the BAU after her best friends.

"That is one of the reasons I actually came in Ma'am..." Lucy said quietly, and then began reaching into her bag for the letter she had written recently. Strauss frowned at the younger agent, but her frown was replaced with a sad expression when the small envelope addressed to her was placed in front of her.

"I have been thinking about this for a long time, and I think it's for the best. Physically and mentally I cannot come back to this job after everything that has changed in these last few months, and that is no ones fault but mine." She explained as Strauss placed the letter to one side, not bothering to even begin to read it after she already knew what was inside.

"You are sure about this?" Strauss questioned. Lucy thought for a moment, thinking of the team that were sitting near.

"Yes, I am sure, Ma'am." She confirmed. Strauss was silent for a moment.

"2 weeks." Strauss countered. Lucy frowned in confusion at her superior.

"I'm sorry? I don't-..." She began but was cut off.

"2 weeks, come back part-time or even full-time. Work with Garcia or alongside Agent Morgan again. But if you're still decided by that point, then you are free to leave the BAU." Strauss explained.

"Ma'am..." Lucy tried to refuse, but was cut off again.

"Agent Copeland. You are young, strong, intelligent and very good at your job. To throw it away because two of your closest friends have left would be a waste. And your position would be very hard to fill. So please, if you still want to leave after two weeks, then you are free to do so." She took a moment to think, 2 weeks? Not that long, I mean after thinking things over for months, she doubted she would change her mind after two weeks. Slowly, she nodded.

"I'll reassign you to Agent Hotchner. For now, he shall be leading the team," She opened her draw, handing Lucy her badge and gun she had kept safely for her. "I'll leave you to tell the team." She smiled slightly, opening her door for the young agent.

"Thank you for your time, Ma'am." She said formally, a newfound respect forming for the older woman.

"Agent Copeland..." Strauss started, Lucy's head whipping back around to meet her face "Remember I am on your side." And just like that, Strauss had shut the door again and reemerged herself into her office, before she could question why she said that. For now, she shrugged it off, but knew it would be an extra thing keeping her up at night.

As Lucy returned to the bullpen, she found her entire team trying to emerge themselves into an awkward conversation, trying to cover up the fact they weren't trying to eavesdrop.

"You know, for profilers, you guys aren't that good at covering eavesdropping up." Lucy smirked.

"No idea what you're talking about." Morgan smirked back, quirking his eyebrows. Lucy rolled her eyes at him, her lips curving upwards slightly.

"So, what was that about?" Garcia asked eagerly.

"I'm back for duty for two weeks, then Strauss is going to review how well it's going for the team and for me." Lucy explained, lying slightly about the fact it was her decision if she was going to leave or not. Garcia let out a huge squeal and ran over to her friend, giving her another tight hug.

"So you're reinstated?" Reid asked. Lucy nodded, showing her badge to them after Garcia let go of her.

"No psyche evaluation? Did she say what she'd prefer you doing?" Hotch inquired.

"Up to you, Hotch. She's assigned me to you." She answered, shrugging her shoulders. Hotch looked at her and then between the team, but before he could answer, JJ came rushing back into the room, clutching her cell phone in her hand.

"3 dead teenagers in Ohio, and one more abducted." She stated, handing the case file to Hotch.

"For now, I'm going to have you stay with Garcia whilst I organise a psyche eval. JJ, brief everyone on the plane, wheels up in 30." Hotch rushed off to his office.

"Come along, mi amore. We have a case to solve." Garcia grinned and tapped Lucy's shoulder as she strutted off to her liar. JJ came up to her, giving her a small hug and then handed her a case file.

"Good to see you." She smiled as she let go of her. Lucy nodded and tried to return the smile.

"I'll see you later, Peaches." Morgan smirked. She raised her eyebrow at him.

"Peaches? Seriously, that's what you're going with?" Morgan chuckled and then nodded. She rolled her eyes at him. He chuckled again, reached for his go bag and then left for the elevator. 

"Nice meeting you," Prentiss smiled at Lucy.

"You too, and watch yourself with Morgan, he needs keeping in line." Lucy joked, a small smirk playing on her lips.

"No need, I think you've already got him in line for me." Prentiss joked back, smiling brightly at Lucy. She blushed, then let out a small laugh.

"Hmm well, I'd like to think so." Prentiss laughed with Lucy, then smiling with a small blush.

"Well, see you later." Prentiss nodded.

"Yeah, good luck." Lucy smiled back at her. She nodded again at her again, her cheeks bright red. As Prentiss turned away, Lucy watched her walk away, a small love sick look on her face. Spencer then tapped her on the shoulder.

"You alright?" He asked, a small but sad smile on his face.

"As well as I can be," She sighed whilst answering him. Spencer frowned but then put his arm on her shoulder and squeezed comfortingly.

"It gets easier... If you need anything, you know my number." He smiled, squeezing her shoulder once more and then rushing off to the others, leaving Hannah on her own in the bullpen. She glanced over at what used to be Elle's desk. It was clean and tidy from where Prentiss had now claimed it and made it her own. She rolled her eyes and chuckled.

"You never were the tidy one, were you?" She muttered to herself under her breath, smiling slightly. Lucy then shook her head at the desk and began walking over to Garcia's lair, her home for the next couple of days.


	2. normal?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> lucy gets back to work, feeling oddly normal about it. but a certain eagle eyed tech wizard notices something that lucy doesn't notice herself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it's been a while, sorry :( i've been swamped with work at uni and finding the time is hard. hope you enjoy this chapter :)

Lucy reached Garcia's lair and knocked on her door.

"You know you don't have to knock for me, pumpkin." Garcia called out from behind the door. She chuckled slightly and opened the door, revealing her tech lab. It was dark, but covered in colourful figurines and flashing LED lights on her computer.

"Come, sit. We have things to talk about." She smiled, outstretching her hand and furiously gesturing Hannah to come and sit with her. Lucy rolled her eyes playfully but went and sat in the spinning office chair next to Garcia.

"Sweetie... How have you been?" She asked her seriously, a sympathetic smile on her face. Hannah sighed.

"I've been fine, Pen. Honestly." Lucy lied. Garcia sighed again and placed her hand on top of her hand.

"I'm not a profiler to know that you've not been dealing with this... You haven't let any of us into your apartment, and we've all tried. You haven't been sleeping, and you've lost weight so my guess is you haven't been eating either. Just please, talk to me. Don't push me out again. I need my best friend, and I need her to be okay." Garcia said sadly, a few tears collecting in her eyes but refusing to let them fall. Lucy stared down a the floor, feeling guilty and overwhelmed. She had no idea that she'd shut them all out this badly.

"Pen I-... I love you, you know that? But I just can't talk about it right now. It's hard, and I'm just not ready." She avoided the question, not wanting to open up just yet.

"I wish you would; but I understand. But when you're ready, just know I'm here waiting for you." Garcia smiled through the tears, furiously wiping them away with her hands. Lucy placed her hand on top of Garcia's and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"You'll be the first to know when I'm ready. I promise you." She swore quietly. Garcia searched upon Lucy's face and nodded at her. They sat in silence for a few moments in each others comfort.

"So, you met Emily." Garcia changed the subject. Lucy's cheeks tinted pink at the mention of her name, but made sure she couldn't see.

"What do you think of her?" She questioned, an eyebrow raised.

"Erm, she seems nice. I don't really know enough about her." Lucy shrugged.

"You know what I mean, she has Elle's job now... I know that can't be easy." She sighed sadly. 

"I mean, I don't know. I haven't seen Elle in six months, I can't contact her and she won't contact me. It's over, has been unfortunately for a long time." Lucy explained. Garcia shared a face of pain and took Lucy's hands in hers, squeezing gently.

"Elle told me she loved you. She wanted to tell you herself, but she never did... I'm sorry." Garcia admitted, her eyes glistening with tears. Lucy smiled softly at Garcia and nodded.

"It's not your fault. When Randall Garner shot her, she changed into this person I barely knew, and she didn't want to know me and kept pushing me away. That's when it ended." She squeezed Garcia's hands back.

"You'll talk to me when you're ready, won't you?" Garcia double checked. Lucy shook her head with a playful smile.

"Honestly, Pen. I feel like even if I never tell you, you'd find out one way or another." Garcia giggled slightly.

"I am good at that." Lucy smiled at her and shook her head once again, then turning to a laptop Garcia had kindly set up for her and looking through the paper file next to it.

"Three teens. Female, same school. Friendship connections?" She asked as she flipped through the file. 

"I'll look them up, good to have you back on board." Garcia smiled and swiftly went over to her computer and started typing furiously.

"You got a pad and paper?" Lucy asked shyly and Garcia raised an eyebrow at her.

"My laptop not good enough for you to type on?" Lucy laughed and shook her head.

"I just prefer note taking on paper, that way I can be messy." Garcia rolled her eyes but then produced a pad of paper from inside of one of her draws and a bio pen.

"Cheers, Pen." Lucy smiled and began scribbling down notes whilst Garcia watched in fascination.

"You got all that from the file?" Garcia continued staring on in amazement. Lucy shrugged, a sheepish blush on her face.

"It's mostly from the crime photos..."

"Missed the job then?" She teased and Lucy laughed.

"You couldn't tell?" Lucy winked at Garcia and she laughed alongside her. 

Some time passed as they both continued on working and waiting for the call from JJ when they were in the air on their way. Lucy happily continued scribbling notes down and highlighting parts of the file, it was an incredible feeling to be back at work and doing something important; and she also hadn't had a single thought of Elle since earlier. She was quite perplexed by Elle's replacement - Emily Prentiss.

Lucy recalled that Penelope had texted her and told her she wasn't sure, but then after a few days withdrew and said she was lovely. She seemed to be an interesting character, and she was gorgeous... Not that was the first thing Lucy thought about, of course. 

"Garcia, got anything from the file?" A voice spoke over from Pen's computer opposite her and Lucy glanced up quickly to see JJ and Reid on the screen.

"Other than the fact they all are from the same classes and same school, nothing. Perfect records, perfect grades." Garcia sighed.

"Luce?" JJ asked her.

"I mean, I think it's quite weird that they all look so alike and are from the same school and classes." Lucy replied.

"I was looking through their social medias and there's no pictures of them together as a group, so I don't think they were friends but I'd ask the parents." Garcia reported also.

"Anything on the parents or teachers, Garcia?" Emily asked from behind the laptop. Lucy glanced over at Pen furiously typing on her computer to keep up with the questions and smiled. 

"Lucy, what have you got on the profile?" Spencer asked. 

"Well, the fact that the victims look so similar definitely suggests that the unsub is slowly building up his confidence, but with the amount of bruising on the chest and legs suggest possible sexual assault also... However, it's strange the way they've placed the body shows remorse... It's confusing." Lucy explained, flicking through the crime scene photos.

"The coroner's report projects that there was sexual assault on all three teenagers prior to being strangled to death with a thin wire... If the unsub was to sexually assault them and then strangle them afterwards, it would have to be pre-meditated." Derek spoke as he spun the computer round to face him and Prentiss.

"Not necessarily, there are cases where a unsub's mental health declined so vastly that the only thing they felt was their sexual attraction to their victim, but once they assaulted them the only thing they felt afterwards was bloodlust... This could be similar to this." Lucy spoke up again.

"Was there anything religious left on the body?" She quickly asked, once again staring intently at the photos.

"Nothing that we're aware of, Peaches. We'll check in with the coroner when we touch down and speak with the parents." Derek smiled and Lucy rolled her eyes at the ridiculous nickname.

"From what I can see, parents are church-goers and seems that they took their kids with them. All three families have a younger brother too, around similar ages..." Garcia noted, trailing off as she continued searching.

"What religion?" Lucy and Prentiss asked at exactly the same time. Garcia let out a small snort and pulled a face at Lucy who rolled her eyes; Derek could be heard laughing alongside JJ and Reid. 

"Catholic, strict by the looks of things too. They go to their small town church where unfortunately it seems that their records are paper-based." She informed. 

"With Catholic presence being so high in the teenagers life, could be a possibility they rebelled and the unsub would be using that?" Lucy suggested.

"You ever met a Catholic rebel?" Derek questioned and Lucy nodded.

"One of my old uni mates." 

"That can't have ended well." Emily commented with a smirk on her face. Lucy snorted and shook her head.

"When the plane touches down, Morgan and Prentiss, you two go straight to the parents and then to the coroner. JJ and Reid, you two go to the town church and find the paper versions of the church records and see if anything connects. I'll go to the school and see if I can find anything surrounding their school life. Garcia and Copeland, keep digging through the records and Reid and JJ will send through the paper copies as soon as they've got them." Hotch appeared on-screen behind Prentiss and Morgan. 

"Call if you need anything. Good to have you back." Hotch spoke, directing it at Lucy who just nodded at him as the call ended.

"So... What do you think of her?" Garcia prodded Lucy in the shoulder. Lucy rolled her eyes and knew exactly who she was talking about, so continued to focus on the case file.

"She seems like a nice person, good at her job too. She's definitely in the right job." She chose her words carefully and Garcia almost looked disappointed in the corner of her eye.

"That's all you got?" 

"Pen, I've barely spoken to the woman!"

"I know... But she's been worried about meeting you since she started." Garcia pouted and Lucy suddenly looked up at her.

"What?? Why?" 

"Well... With the whole Elle business, she's worried that you'd automatically hate her because she took Elle's job..." She explained sadly and Lucy sighed.

"I'd never hate her for that, Elle left on her own... Wait, please don't tell me all that the only thing everyone's gossiping about is that." Lucy narrowed her eyes at Garcia who pulled an apologetic face.

"Jesus fucking Christ. It's bad enough being talk of the office when Elle got shot but for the whole six months I've been gone?" She groaned.

"It's not nearly as bad as you think it is, sweetie. And if anyone was saying anything, Derek and I shut them down pretty quickly." Lucy smiled slightly at that, but stayed silent, once again turning her focus on the case file.

\- Time Skip, A Few Hours Later -

So far, the case hadn't built up many leads, other than a physical profile from the full coroner's report. Athletic male, late teens to early twenties, declining mental health which could result in his physical appearance declining. So far the victims had no link other than looking similar and coming from the same classes, however a small cross was left on each of the victims necks when the body's were laid in a remorseful way. And the leader of the church was being useless, and Derek and Lucy had a feeling that he was hiding something.

So here they were on a call trading information and trying to come up with new possibilities.

"The cross is remorseful, like the unsub is asking God for forgiveness." Lucy reported, circling some notes in her pad of paper.

"The head priest is giving us nothing, the paperwork is sloppy and useless... The link do not make sense and there is still a girl missing." Derek sighed furiously.

"Hold on... Who's the girl that's been abducted?" Lucy piped up, almost as if a lightbulb had gone off on the top of her head.

"Holly Richards, same as the previous girls. Sparkling record, good grades but in different classes." Emily answered, appearing in frame. Lucy nodded and flicked through her notes once more.

"The classes are a coincidence. All the parents are religious right? There's surely a youth group in the town which all the local teenagers hang out at, the unsub could be using that to their advantage... Pretending to be their friend and gaining their trust to tell him their 'sins' so that he sees the sexual assault and killings as work for God." Lucy looked up for a moment to see Emily completely lost for words.

"Yeah, she's pretty good." Derek smirked at Emily whilst Lucy shook her head.

"So the next step would be to look through the school clubs and see if there is a youth club, and try the priest again... He's hiding something, and you're going to have to use his religion against him." She explained again and Emily pulled a face.

"Seems a bit immoral, don't you think?"

"So is raping and killing three teenage girls." Emily raised an eyebrow and had a small playful smirk on her face.

"Touche." 

"Right, Peaches. We'll do that now and drop any info over." Derek said and ended the phone call. Lucy smiled and looked up from her notes and saw Garcia staring at her with her jaw almost to the floor.

"What?" Lucy asked suspiciously.

"You were flirting!!" She accused.

"With Derek?? We always flirt, Pen. That's nothing new." Lucy brushed it off.

"Not with my gorgeous Chocolate Thunder, with a certain newbie!!" She grinned and Lucy pulled a face.

"Pen! Have you actually lost your mind this time? We were working!" 

"Don't you try and lie to me, Copeland! That was flirting, I know it because you're flirting just how Morgan and I flirt!" Lucy rolled her eyes and shook her head furiously.

"You're delusional, Pen."

"No, I'm right. You just won't admit it." 

"And I never will, we were working! Jesus, we were talking about murder and sexual assault! That's hardly grounds for flirting." Lucy continued to defend herself.

"Call it what you like, my sweet sugar plum. But I know what I saw and heard." She smirked over at Lucy who shook her head at her and went back to her laptop.


	3. back to it

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> they continue trying to solve the case and it comes to a point where lucy must confront her demons and go for her pysch evaluation.

Garcia and Lucy continued to work side by side, hours and hours going by. Lucy ignored the countless amount of sly comments she would say about her flirting with Emily. Of course, she wasn’t flirting! It was purely just work, and even if they were, it was just like the type of flirting that Garcia had with Morgan; what was all the fuss about?

Lucy started typing on the laptop that Garcia had set up and continued reviewing the evidence that the team had sent over when her phone lit up with a text. She moved and picked up her phone to see that Hotch had texted her.

Aaron Hotchner – I’m going to conduct your Psych Evaluation as soon as we’ll be back. Strauss will be there too to fully sign you back onto the team when you pass.

Lucy smiled lightly at the fact that Hotch had put “when” rather than “if” she passed the evaluation. It was good to see that her boss still had some faith in her abilities. She returned to her laptop and zoomed back into the crime photos and froze at something she saw. In the background of one of the crime photos, there was a leaflet for a church youth group.

“Garcia! Can you run this leaflet real quick?” Lucy asked suddenly. Garcia looked over and spun her chair over to Lucy and ran the photo through the system.

“Youth Group for Young Catholics…” Garcia muttered to herself as she read through. Lucy quickly dialled Hotch’s number and began calling him.

“Hotchner.” He answered fast.

“Hotch it’s me, Garcia and I found a leaflet in one of the crime scene photos for a youth group for young Catholics ranging from 12 – 18. Garcia’s sending the address over to you all now, my guess would be the Unsub is either running or part of that group.” Lucy spewed all of the information out quickly.

“Good spot. I’ll get Prentiss and JJ to check it out and then get Reid and Morgan to go speak to the parents again.” Hotch replied.

“The girls must have been rebelling over the Catholic reign their parents had on their lives… He’s still holding the other girl, and according to the coroner’s report he only kept them for 24 hours. We only have a small amount of time.” He spoke again.

“It’s very strange that the girls were never friends, especially if the connection is that they went to the youth group… If I was one of them, I wouldn’t clung on to whatever friendship they could make -….” She stopped suddenly and raced over the file.

“What is it?” He asked in a concerned tone.

“These girls have the same upbringing, the same school and potentially the same Youth Club – what about their family background? Is it completely normal or regular?” She questioned, flipping through the photos and profile and slowly coming to a conclusion.

“Parents said they were the perfect children, good grades… Why? What are you thinking?” Hotch questioned back.

“Jump onto a video call quickly.” Lucy told him, and a sound of rustling was made on the other line where Hotch put his phone down and jumped onto a work laptop, suddenly appearing on Garcia’s computer screen.

“What’s going on?” Hotch asked as Prentiss, Morgan, Reid and JJ crowded round the screen too.

“When you met the parents, did they seem pushy?” She asked them.

“It seemed like they didn’t want us there, but they loved their kid. All of them were emotional, and they weren’t lying after we asked them questions surrounding the girls.” Morgan answered. Lucy started scribbling down things on the file.

“Did you get to look around the girl’s bedrooms?” She inquired again.

“Nothing out of the ordinary, just seemed like a teenager’s room… I did notice it was suspiciously clean, and there were no photos of friends or family around the houses of every family.” Prentiss reported.

“I think it is a possibility that the parents have pushed the girls so much to strive in school, go to church and be good withstanding people that they rebelled against their religion. The parents are hiding something.” She speculated.

“If they did actually rebel, surely there would be physical evidence?” Hotch stated.

“They weren’t wearing a cross.” Prentiss burst out and Lucy and Reid caught on.

“If the parents were strict, they would have made the girls wear a cross necklace to symbolise their love and commitment to God. There was no cross on the body.” Reid agreed and spread the pictures on the body over the table on the other end.

“Prentiss and JJ, go to the Youth Club and look for anyone who may fit the profile. Reid, Morgan and I will go to speak with the parents. Good work.” Hotch nodded at Lucy who nodded back at him.

“Call me if you find anything.” She said and Hotch nodded again, and the call ended.

The call came in, they’d found the Unsub and he was hiding the other younger girl in the Youth Club’s basement. The parents were hiding the evidence that their children weren’t the perfect Catholic girls because they feared how they would be seen at the church, and they knew the Unsub; he had been to each one of the victims houses and met the parent’s days before the murders. He’d justified his murder as doing God’s work, as they had initially suspected.

The team was on their way back and they’d officially wrapped up the case in a short amount of time. Lucy was packing up the files in Garcia’s lair when Strauss entered the room.

“I got the call from Hotch, that’s one of the fastest times they’ve finished the case.” Strauss reported.

“That’s good.” Lucy replied, focussing more on the files than holding a conversation with the stern woman.

“How was it? Being back on the team?” She questioned. Lucy shrugged.

“It was okay. Hard, but I got through it.”

“Well, Hotch told me that you were a benefit to the team, and they wouldn’t have solved the case as quickly if you weren’t here helping. He also said you made a good team with Agent Prentiss. So, are you ready for your Psych Eval?” She quizzed and Lucy nodded, placing the files in a box.

“The team will land in an hour, go get some fresh air for a while and come back here.” She ordered.

“Yes, Ma’am.” Lucy replied quietly, taking her phone and headphones and heading straight out of the room and to the elevator.

She went down in the elevator, putting in her headphones and taking a deep breath as the lift dropped down to the ground floor. Quickly, she slipped out of the lift and went straight out into the car park. The fresh air and breeze hit her, and she immediately felt as ease. 

Throughout this whole case, there had been a slight feeling of anxiety and it has slowly been building up for as long as she had been working. But she did well, she did her job and worked hard… Without Elle or Gideon. 

The letter Gideon wrote to her had been burning in her back pocket since she got it. The dread filled her up and she feared opening it and finding out the truth of why he’s left, and why he didn’t tell her. Reaching into her back pocket, she brought out the addressed envelope and stared at it, the fear and anxiety creeping up on her like a shadow. 

She didn’t know how long she’d been sat on the brick fence, staring at the envelope with her headphones in, focusing on her breathing. Loud music was booming into her ears, the bass beating in time with her heart rate. Her fingertips ghosted the paper, going around the seal he’d put on the letter to make sure it remained untouched until she got there. It was so Gideon. Granted, when Lucy first started, they were not close and sometimes they’d argue and disagree on cases. Slowly, they built up a trust and then a friendship. It took its time, but it got there.

“Hey.” A voice said from behind her, and Lucy almost jumped, ripping the headphones out of her ears and looking behind her to see the familiar raven-haired woman with a small smile on her face.

“Sorry! Didn’t mean to startle you.” She spoke gently again. Lucy chuckled awkwardly and waved her away.

“No, it’s all good. I didn’t realise how long I’d been sat out here.” Emily chuckled gently and sat down next to Lucy on the wall.

“You alright? That must’ve been touch to be thrown into the deep end.” Lucy shrugged and rolled up the sleeves of her jumper.

“I’m better than I thought I would be. I thought I was going to freak out, but once I got my head down… I guess it was good to be back.” She answered honestly, and Emily once again smiled but more brightly.

“Well, you were amazing-.” She interrupted her with a snort and amused look. “I’m being serious!” They both chuckled to each other for a moment and then sat in a comfortable silence, before Lucy’s phone interrupted them. She swiftly picked it up and viewed the message.

Erin Strauss – We’re upstairs waiting.

Lucy sighed and shoved her phone back into her pocket.

“Psyche Eval?” Emily questioned with a raised brow. Lucy nodded and she offered her a look of sympathy.

“Good luck… I’m sure I’ll see you soon.” Lucy nodded again and waved goodbye to her as she wandered back inside and up in the elevator. As she waited for the elevator to reach the desired floor, her phone buzzed again with an unknown number.

Unknown Number – Hey, it’s Emily Prentiss. JJ gave me your number, if you’re feeling up for it we’re all going to go for drinks at the bar nearby once Hotch is done with the eval, did you want to join?

Lucy found herself actually smiling properly but knew she couldn’t go drinking just yet. She needed to go to her apartment and clean up and throw out Elle’s stuff. It was something she had been thinking about for a while, she needed to do it to move on. Shaking her head, she quickly tapped a reply to Emily.

Lucy – As much as I’d love to, I don’t think I’m quite ready for that yet. Plus, my apartment is disgusting so should probably get ahead of that before my landlord throws me out.

She put her phone onto silent and then went onto her home-screen where the picture of her and Elle was displayed. As the elevator dinged, she shut her phone off and threw it into her pocket, silently vowing to change that wallpaper later. 

As she wandered into the bullpen, Strauss and Hotch were standing outside his office and they noticed her pushed the loose hair strands behind her hairs and nodded her over to them. Begrudgingly, she went up and over to them, following them into the dark office where two chairs were sat behind a desk, and one in front of it. Strauss had a file in front of her and some papers on top of which Lucy assumed were the papers she would sign to say she was fit to go back into the field.

“Are you ready for this?” Hotch asked gently. Lucy nodded with a fake smile, but she’d got pretty good at that. Hotch and Strauss shut the door and closed the blinds, and then took a seat behind the desk with papers in front on them. Lucy slowly sat in the seat in front of the desk, playing with her fingernails underneath the desk where they couldn’t see just yet. She could feel the anxiety building, but swallowed and took a slow, deep breath. 

“I’m going to start with the first question. How are you feel you are doing mentally?” Strauss immediately hit with the first question and Lucy hesitated, taking a moment to be truly honest.

“I’m not great, I won’t lie. But I’m better than I was and being at work today has helped me focus on what’s important.” She replied, and Hotch offered her a rare, soft smile. Strauss nodded and began jotting something down on the papers and Hotch watched, reading the works that were inked onto the page.

“Second question, do you feel like you could be a danger to other people, or yourself?” Lucy swallowed. She hadn’t harmed herself physically, but she couldn’t lie that the thought had not crossed her mind. But no, she wasn’t a danger because she trusted herself to not make such impacting decisions.

“No. Not a danger to others or myself.” She confirmed and Strauss nodded, once again scribbling away daintily on the page.

“Third question, have you had any suicidal thoughts in the last few weeks?” Hotch then questioned her, knowing this was a hard question for Lucy. She felt her breathing hitch slightly and her heart rate increase. She took a deep breath and nodded. Strauss looked upon Lucy like a puppy that had been kicked, feeling sorry for the girl for digging so deep into her private life.

“Have you used drugs or alcohol to help with issues you have been having?” He continued and Lucy shook her head immediately.

“No. Never.” 

“I would ask you about your feelings about coming back to work, but you have made those pretty clear today, Agent Copeland.” Struass addressed Lucy fully and it almost made her squirm under her intense stare, so she looked away, focusing on the dirt under her fingernails that she’d accumulated throughout the day.

“Do you think you would be able to deal with the pressure on the field if you were re-instated to fully ability?” Hotch finished off with the final question. Lucy really thought for a moment, working on the force today and being away from the action was frustrating; if she was there, maybe she would’ve noticed things faster.

“Yes, I believe so.” Strauss caught her eye and a quick smile quirked at her lips before it went back to her stern, tight lipped resting frown. 

Strauss continued writing on the paper for a few moments, then trading the paper to Hotch who started writing down too. Lucy met Strauss’ gaze, who smiled at her before turning to Hotch and waiting for him to finish writing and confirm their decision. Hotch put the pen down and nodded at Strauss and she slid the paper over to Lucy and handed her the pen.

“Agent Copeland, if you sign off on this, you are agreeing to myself and Agent Hotchner’s decision to fully re-instate you as a field agent, under the conditions that you work alongside Agent Morgan and Agent Prentiss and if you believe you are out of your depth, then you speak with Agent Hotchner or Agent Jereau.” Strauss informed, a small smile playing on her lips.

Lucy raised an eyebrow in surprise that they’ve decided to fully re-instate her, but a smile appeared on her lips. Instead of arguing with them about their decision, she picked up the pen and signed the paper at the end of the page. 

“Welcome back to the BAU, Agent Copeland.” Hotch said, nodding at her and then leaving the room. Strauss got up to leave but Lucy stopped her.

“Ma’am… About that letter you have of mine…” She started and Strauss nodded at her to continue.

“Rip it up.” Lucy smirked at her.

“Good decision, Agent Copeland. Good to have you back on the team.” Strauss smiled back at her, satisfied with the young agent’s decision and slipped out of the office. Lucy followed her out and quickly checked her phone and saw a message from Prentiss.

Emily Prentiss – Hahah! Of course, see you tomorrow.

Lucy smiled to herself, and then opened up to tap a message to Penelope Garcia.

Lucy – Guess who just got re-instated fully? 

It took a matter of seconds to get a reply.

Pen – OMG!! So happy for you! Are you sure you don’t want to come for drinks tonight? <3

Lucy – Ahah, thank you. No, I’m good. Thank you and Emily for the invite though, I’ve got to sort out my apartment x

Pen – Need company? Xx

Lucy – This is something I need to do alone. Thank you though, enjoy drinks tonight and I’ll see you tomorrow xx

Pen – Of course, I’m only a call away if it gets too much xx

Lucy felt the corners of her mouth twitch up into a smile and she shoved her phone back into her jean pocket and slipped into the elevator to drive home.

As Lucy slipped into her apartment, she threw her keys onto the small end table by her front door and sighed in annoyance at the mess she’d left her place in. Takeout boxes were everywhere, washing up all over the place and just general bits of rubbish was scattered throughout the lounge and kitchen. And her bedroom was even worse.

Lucy was lucky enough to have a two-floor apartment… Well, you say two-floor, she had a short staircase at the back of her kitchen which lead up to her bedroom and bathroom. She was looking at moving at some stage, the apartment was big, and it was stupid for only one person to be living in it. The plan was for Elle to move in, and before they had even gotten feelings for each other, Elle was round and staying nearly every night because her apartment was further away.

Lucy quickly ran upstairs to her bedroom and rolled her eyes at the state she had left her bedroom in. Quickly, she threw off her jeans and replaced them with grey skinny joggers and oversized white t-shirt, which she tied into a knot at the end to make it shorter and more comfortable.

She got to work on cleaning up her apartment, grabbing all the dirty clothes strewn across her grey wooden floors and throwing them into a washing basket just across from her bathroom. She placed her headphones in and played her gym playlist – a load of upbeat and fast paced music to encourage her to continue cleaning up the place. 

An hour or so later, she had managed to finish cleaning up most of the apartment with six bin bags filled with rubbish from the last months she’d been in the state of pure pain and grief. She looked at her now sparkling apartment and felt proud of herself that she managed to do that, a day ago she would not have been able to do it. 

Right now, she had the worst task that she was dreading – going through Elle’s things. It was going to be painful, and she would probably cry, but she needed to do it because she couldn’t continue living with the ghost of the love of her life in the apartment anymore. 

Reluctantly, Lucy traipsed into her lounge and started taking the photos of Elle out of the photo frames and putting them into a box. Then came her strange little trinkets that she’d leave around the house just to irritate her, and then came the worst parts – her perfume in the bathroom and her clothes in Lucy’s closet.

Surprisingly, she hadn’t cried yet… And in a strange way she felt that maybe she wouldn’t either. This was cleansing, Elle had turned her back on her and she’d been wallowing for so long, she hadn’t realised that all she needed to do was throw away her things. 

She picked up her toothbrush, her signature perfume, her old makeup and a necklace that she’d left one night. Lucy debated on keeping the necklace, but ultimately decided she would throw it away because she didn’t want to cling onto anything that wouldn’t be. 

Lucy advanced onto her bedroom and began going through all of Elle’s jumpers, t-shirts, pants and hoodies; piling them into the box and filling it to the brim. Then she spied her own burgundy jumper that Elle always wore, and she picked it up and threw it into the box. It wasn’t her favourite anymore, and all it did was bring back painful memories. 

She closed the lid on the box and trotted down the stairs. She placed the box down next to the end table by the front door and picked up the bin bags near the front door and went to take them to the trash chute on her floor. She threw all the bags away in two trips, and then picked up carboard box filled with Elle’s things, and a lighter on the end table.

With the box under her arm, she went down in the elevator to her apartment buildings reception and walked into the alleyway and stood next to the large, industrial skips. She dumped the box down and noticed a small bottle of gasoline sitting next to the skip with the smallest amount left. Slowly, she reached down and grabbed the gasoline bottle and dumped the rest of the liquid on her stuff, and she pulled the lighter from her back-jean pocket. 

She clicked the lighter and an orange flame burst from the small contraption, and she threw it into the box, causing it to burst into flames in a controlled way; burning through everything equally and reducing it to ash. 

Once the box has been reduced to complete ash, she walked away, feeling slightly numb, but she’d done the right thing. She needed to be rid of her for now, so she could move on with her life. 

As Lucy got back into her apartment, she went and checked her phone and was surprised to find a message from the mysterious Emily Prentiss again.

Emily Prentiss – Garcia you just told us that you’ve been re-instated, congrats!! Looking forward to working with you properly :) 

Lucy smiled again and put her phone back down and collapsed on the couch, staring up at the ceiling. It was a painful feeling knowing that Elle would never come back, but it felt nice to know that her replacement appreciates her.


	4. brutal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> a brutal new case pops up and the team try to work through it without losing their heads.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry it's taken me over a month to write a new chapter. with the pandemic, i've had to move back home from uni and i'm back at work too. this chapter is a bit of filler, but i'm working on the next one:)

A couple of weeks had passed since Lucy had been fully re-instated into the FBI. Not much had changed other than she’d been back with the team solving cases, and not thinking about Elle or Gideon as much as she used to; she hadn’t even read Gideon’s letter.

It wasn’t like she didn’t want to read it; it was just she struggled to find the time. Most of the time she was working, and when she wasn’t, Garcia, Prentiss, JJ or even Morgan had something planned for her to do to keep her mind occupied. Lucy knew that they were keeping her distracted so that she didn’t fall into that spiral she did as soon as Elle left. But now, Lucy was slowly becoming more like herself again.

She’d spent a fair bit of time with Prentiss, they’d become quite close whilst working together but Lucy was still sceptical over their friendship. In some ways, she felt like she was replacing Elle but not in a healthy way, and she didn’t want to do that. But in another way, their friendship was completely different to what her and Elle had, and she felt herself trusting her as not only a friend. 

They made a great team in the field, working through each piece of evidence carefully and both coming up with the same theories on occasions. The team were enjoying seeing Lucy with a smile on her face, and Garcia had been non-stop at Lucy and Emily for their “constant” flirting.

Truth be told, they did flirt a little bit. It was only playful, the odd wink here and there and flirty comment about their actions, clothing or hair - anything really. Lucy didn’t really realise she was even flirting with her, occasionally they’ll be working through the case and Emily would say something, then Lucy would twist it as a joke which always got Emily laughing.

It was an early Wednesday morning; the weather was cloudy and there were spits of rain hitting the pavement outside the BAU office that Lucy was waiting outside of. She leaned against the brick wall, sipping on her vanilla latte she’d made just before she left to go to work. Before going in to get de-briefed, she liked to have this small moment of reflection and an inkling of hope that whatever they were going off to investigate wouldn’t be too gruesome.

She watched as a black SUV pulled into the carpark and saw a familiar woman sitting in the driver’s seat. She met Lucy’s eyes and smiled brightly, waving at her. Lucy smiled back, and waved gently back at her, taking another sip of her lukewarm coffee. The woman exited her car, grabbing her bag and swinging it onto her shoulder and quickly stepped over to where Lucy was leaning.

“Morning.” Emily yawned, stretching her neck out with her hand.

“Morning, how’re you doing this morning?” Lucy chuckled lightly at her sleepy state.

“Exhausted, how come you’re so awake and cheery?” She raised an eyebrow at Lucy who just shrugged and smiled.

“I honestly couldn’t tell you. Just feeling like I’m in a semi good place right now.” Emily beamed at Lucy and squeezed her shoulder in comfort. 

“That’s good to hear.” Lucy nodded with a smile as they both entered the building and got into the elevator. The two women stayed in a comfortable silence, sharing a smile at each other as they were lifted up onto their desired floor. 

They got off the elevator and walked into the bullpen, seeing the usual chaos occurring between Reid and Morgan. Garcia was leaning against Morgan’s desk whilst Morgan was messing with Reid’s hair and asking him about where he was last night when the team went out for drinks.

“Come on, Pretty Boy! Where’d you get to last night?” Morgan teased, ruffling Reid’s hair as he tried to dodge out of the way.

“Nowhere, Morgan! I just went home, get off!” Reid pushed him out of the way and Morgan started chuckling to himself as he held his hands up in the air. Lucy and Emily laughed to each other at their antics and sat down at their desks.

Lucy’s desk used to be plain and clean, but now it was covered in paper files, the occasional photograph and the strange trinkets that Garcia leaves to bring a smile on her face. There was a photograph stuck to her screen of herself, Garcia, JJ and Emily on a shopping trip they’d done in the recent weeks. It was a funny photo, Emily and Lucy were in fits of laughter and leaning on one another whilst JJ and Garcia were grinning at them both. 

Lucy smiled as she sat down, pushing all the paper to one side and chucking her canvas satchel onto the floor beside her desk draws. Quickly, she grabbed a pen and opened the first paper file on the huge pile. Inside, it detailed the last case they’d done yesterday, and Lucy still had a little bit of the report to finish. As the pen touched the paper, the pen was yanked out of her hand.

“Hey!” She protested, spinning her chair around to see Morgan smirked cheekily.

“Oh, I see. Just because Reid won’t take your annoying antics, you’d try it on me.” Morgan grinned and Lucy rolled her eyes at him, swiping the pen out of his hands.

“You coming out for drinks after this one, Peaches?” He teased and Lucy shook her head.

“Nah, I’ve got a couple of things I need to do at home.” Morgan and Garcia collectively groaned, and Lucy rolled her eyes.

“Sorry guys! I still have a load of stuff to organise, and I’m overdue a long conversation with some friends back home.” Lucy went to put her pen to paper and then it was swiped by Garcia.

“Come on, Luce! You’ve not been out with us since you’ve been back, and you definitely need a night out.” Lucy groaned and plucked the pen from Garcia’s grasp.

“Look, I won’t deny I need to go out and drink with you guys… I’ve just got to sort some things out first.” Morgan snorted and shook his head.

“One night, please. That’s all we’re asking.” Garcia pouted and pleaded with Lucy and she sighed, glancing around the room to see Morgan wearing the same puppy-dog pout and even Emily joining in from opposite her.

“Oh no, not you too.” She whined and covered her head with her hands.

“Just one drink… Pleaseeee.” Emily begged, sticking her bottom lip out and making a face at Lucy. She sighs once again and shakes her head.

“Maybe. I’ll see how I feel after the case.” Garcia and Morgan jump up triumphantly and grin at each other.

“Oh, it’s going to be so worth it, Peaches.” Morgan smirked, quickly pressing a kiss to Lucy’s cheek and swaggering off to his desk. 

“It’s not a yes, Morgan. Don’t get your hopes up.” Lucy reminds him and flicks the page of her file, filling in the blank spaces upon the page.

“Briefing in 5.” JJ comes speeding around the corner with a stack of files in her hands and heads straight into the room. Lucy glances up from her file and Emily takes the pen out of her hands and puts it in the holder on the edge of her desk.

“Come on, you can finish that later alongside the mountain of paperwork we’ll get from this one.” She says sarcastically, and Lucy chuckles lightly and closes her file, throwing it into the top draw of her desk.

Once they’d all filed into the briefing room, Lucy sat in-between Emily and Reid and leaned back into the chairs, watching Morgan continue to lightly tease Reid by ruffling his hair. Reid, not having any of, pushes Morgan’s hands away again and pulled a face at him. Morgan laughed, holding his hands up in surrender and leaned back into his chair. 

“What do we have?” Reid asked JJ as she passed the files around to everyone. 

“Two children dead, another one abducted in the suburbs of New York.” JJ reported as everyone flicked through the files.

Lucy opened the file and immediately felt her stomach turn, the pictures were graphic; clear that the unsub had tortured them brutally.

“M.E report?” Emily asked, turning the page away from the photographs.

“Both of them were tortured post-mortem… Cause of death was strangulation.” Reid reads from the file.

“Why would they be tortured post-mortem? Any signs of sexual assault?” Lucy asked in confusion.

“No, none.” JJ replied.

“So, it’s not a sexual fantasy… Could be that the unsub didn’t get off enough from the killing and had to go one step further.” Morgan suggested.

“Is it possible it’s a specific ritual from a religion?” Emily added. 

“I’ve never seen any ritual that tortures AFTER the victim is dead.” JJ shakes her head.

“We’ll find out more when we get there, we’ll be working with the homicide division of the NYPD. Wheels up in 30.” Hotch announced, shutting his file. Everyone slowly filed out of the room, taking their files with them and then going to their desks to retrieve their go-bags.

Lucy throws her file onto her desk and grabs her duffle bag and her canvas satchel. Morgan glances over and throws a look of concern over to Prentiss, which doesn’t go unnoticed by Reid and JJ.

“You good, Luce?” Reid asks from his desk. Lucy looks up with a frown on her face.

“Yeah… Why?” She asks suspiciously. Reid suddenly shrugs and goes back to getting his bag together. Lucy’s eyes narrow at Reid, and then at Morgan and Emily who pretend to not notice what’s going on.

“Ok, spill. Why are you all looking so weirdly at me?” She questions them both.

“We’re not looking weirdly at you.” Morgan immediately defends, but his face says otherwise.

“Dude, you do know I’m a profiler too, right?” Lucy snorts.

“We’re just worried about you, these cases hit each of us differently.” Emily says from opposite her, her face wearing a look of kind concern. Lucy smiles softly at her and shakes her head.

“Guys, I’m good. I swear.” Lucy shares a look with Morgan and Prentiss, silently pleading that they’ll leave it be.

“Fine, if you say so, Peaches.” Morgan nodded, agreeing to drop the subject.

“When are you ever going to stop with the Peaches? I’m 27, the nickname isn’t cute anymore.” Lucy groans and JJ laughs from across the room.

“I don’t know, Luce. Could be a lot worse.” 

“Where did Peaches come from, Morgan?” Reid suddenly pipes up with and Morgan grins, whilst Lucy lets out a huge groan of annoyance.

“Wait, there is an origin story to this?” Emily asked excitedly. Morgan goes to open his mouth, but Lucy shoots a daggering glare at him.

“Derek Morgan, if you are to utter a word about that – I won’t hesitate to shoot you.” She warns him and he holds his hands up to surrender.

“Come on, it can’t be that bad!” Emily tries to plead, but Lucy shakes her head.

“Sorry, Em, but that story is buried in the dirt where it will STAY.” She shoots another glare at Morgan who laughs and shakes his head.

“Come on, I’ll give you a ride.” Morgan nudges Lucy as he walks past her. Lucy smirks up at him.

“I mean, it’s the least you could do after you nearly spilled that story.” 

“Oh, Peaches… I’m just waiting for the right time to tell them.” 

“You wouldn’t dare….” 

They were all sat on the jet, files open and swapping theories with one another. Hotch had given orders for landing – Lucy and Reid to go and speak with the ME to get a clearer report on the autopsies, Prentiss and Morgan to go to the victims houses to profile them and JJ and himself were to go to the abducted child’s house to profile the child. It was going to be a gruesome case, initial indications from the case they had a 24 to 36-hour window before the next child would be killed.

“It doesn’t make any sense, from the appearance – the kids don’t look the same, ages are different and they’re from different suburbs.” Lucy sighed, flicking through the file again.

“What if the unsub is escalating?” Morgan suggested.

“That quickly? I don’t know.” Emily said, flicking back through the file at the crime scene photos. Lucy leaned over from beside her and glances at the photos.

“What if they’ve killed before? Had a psychologic break?” Lucy asks, leaning back into her jet seat.

Hotch leaned over from the other side of the plan, putting a laptop down in the table and loading Garcia up onto the screen.

“Garcia, can you check to see if there’s any cold case abductions or murders in New York in the past 10 years?” Hotch ordered her.

“Checking now… Yeah, we’ve got three previous counts of abduction – but they’re older than the victims now.” Garcia reported back.

“How old are they?” Lucy questioned, quickly writing down the notes on the pad of paper next to her.

“Ranging from 11 to 14.” She replied.

“How long ago?” Morgan queried.

“Exactly five years ago from yesterday…” Garcia answered quietly.

“Were the kids found, Garcia?” Reid piped up. She’s silent on the other end for a moment.

“No bodies were found, still cased as an abduction rather than a homicide.” She answered again.

“Thanks, Garcia.” Hotch thanked her and closed the laptop. Emily glanced over at Lucy who was massaging her forehead with her hand.

“You alright?” Emily asked in concern.

“Yeah I-… I just hate the cases where kids are involved.” Emily nodded in agreement and squeezed Lucy’s hand in attempt to comfort her. Lucy smiled at her briefly, holding their gaze before breaking off and staring out of the jet window.

“Typically, in child abduction cases there’s a three-hour window before the kidnapper kills them, but this unsub is leaving it 24 to 36-hours.” Reid explained, staring deeply at the file in front of him.

“But why leave it that long, and then torture the bodies? It doesn’t make any sense.” JJ leaned over Reid, brushing over his shoulder gently. Reid didn’t seem to notice the gesture, or he did and didn’t react. Morgan quickly looked over at JJ and Reid, and then over to Lucy, raising an eyebrow. Lucy glanced over at Reid and JJ, frowning at the gesture but wearing a smirk when her eyes returned to Morgan.

“Garcia has sent the cold files over ready for when we land, be ready in 20.” Hotch said from across the plane. JJ moved away from Reid with a small smile on her face, and Reid’s face didn’t change – still deeply interested in the file and not recognising the soft gesture JJ had made.

The plane fell quiet for a moment, all of them going back to their own thoughts and their own theories. Morgan watched as Lucy continued to flip through the file, and then watched Emily watching her intently with a small smile on her face. Morgan frowned at the two of them, and then glanced over at Hotch who was also watching. The two men didn’t say anything, but there was a small smile on Hotch’s lips that Morgan could only just make out. 

They landed and dispersed off. Reid and Lucy had gone to speak with the ME to get a clearly autopsy report, Prentiss and Morgan were off to the victims houses to speak with their parents and profile them, and JJ and Hotch were off to the latest abductee’s house and doing the same thing. 

Prentiss and Morgan were driving in silence, she was staring out of the window whilst Morgan kept his eyes on the road, occasionally glancing over at Prentiss.

“You and Copeland, huh?” He couldn’t resist teasing her.

“What about us, Morgan?” Prentiss fired back, an annoyed frown on her face.

“You guys are close, that’s all.” He replied calmly, noticing her tone.

“We’re friends.” She answered, her eyes rolling at him.

“I’m just observing, that’s all.” He smirked to himself as he drove down the suburban road to the house. Prentiss shook her head and scoffed at him. He decided to stay quiet as he pulled into driveway of the victim’s house.

“She’s a good woman. Funny, good-looking, caring…. I can see why you’re into her.” He teased her again and Prentiss snorted in annoyance and shook her head.

“You’re insane, Morgan. And this conversation ends now.” She glared at him, getting out of the car and slamming the door behind her.

“That’s fine, Prentiss. You can keep ignoring it all you want, but your secret is safe with me.” He joked, grinning at her.

“Shut up before I shoot you.” She threatened him. Morgan snorted and shook his head, knowing there was no truth in the threat. 

In the hour of them speaking to the parents and searching through the child’s room, Morgan didn’t bring the topic up again in fear that Prentiss might actually shoot him. But whilst searching through the room and speaking with the parents, they noticed that the victim was quite secluded and quiet – from what the parents had told them, he wasn’t a social and outgoing child at the age of 8. He’d spend most of his days in his room reading or playing computer games. 

As Morgan and Prentiss went to the next victims house in the next suburb nearby, they noticed similar things with the 6-year-old girl. The parents of her had told them that she was very quiet, would rather spend her days drawing in the house than outside in the suburbs playing with the other kids. Apparently, they’d tried to integrate the little girl with other children her age in the suburb, but she refused. Her room was clean, tidy and almost bare for a child’s room – only her own drawings were pinned to her wall. The parents were helpful, but almost like they were hiding something. They didn’t know the other victim’s family, or their child yet they both were abducted in the same park. Something wasn’t adding up, and Morgan and Prentiss knew that.

As they arrived back to the precinct, they saw Reid and Lucy writing on the board their findings from the ME and possible theories with the other NYPD officers around them, watching and reading. 

“How’d it go with the parents?” Lucy asked as she noticed them both coming in.

“Both victims were secluded, didn’t leave the house very much and weren’t friends with any of the other kids in the neighbourhood.” Morgan reported in.

“Both children were abducted from the same park, both halfway in between their schools. Victims family claimed they didn’t know each other but if they both went to the same park it’s a possibility they’re lying.” Prentiss added.

“ME report shows that the strangulation was brutal. The unsub had to be kneeling on top of the child, putting pressure on their lungs and then using their hands to strangle them.” Reid stopped writing on the board and handed Prentiss and Morgan a fresh file.

“Anything on the old case files?” Prentiss asked Lucy as she stood next to her.

“They’re connected and It’s definitely a psychological break. Both of them were abducted days after one another and then they were never found. My guess is that they’ve been alive the whole time, but something’s happened to make the unsub snap – this is a quadruple kidnapping and homicide.” Lucy shuddered at the thought.

“What would have made them break?” Morgan asks from beside Reid.

“Could be anything, we’re waiting for JJ and Hotch to get back to piece more together. Our guess is the unsub has to be situated in a 20-mile radius of all of the houses and the park itself where they were abducted from.” She replied.

“The site where the bodies were found is at least an hour out of the way of the neighbourhoods. This unsub went out of the way to dump their bodies but leave them in a remorseful way.” Reid said, briefly looking up from the file to the board in front of them.

“From what the ME report says, the unsub has got to male, be at least 6-feet tall, weigh around 180 pounds, athletic build.” Lucy added to Reid’s notes.

“Did these kids ever go to a library? Other than the ones in the city.” Morgan asked, a theory coming together in his head. Lucy glanced over and Morgan, knowing what he was getting at.  
“You think that the unsub has had regular contact with the victims?” She questioned; her left eyebrow raised at him.

“The last two victims were quiet and secluded, liked drawing and reading – parents could’ve taken them there to try and get them to merge with kids like them.” Emily added in agreement. Lucy quickly takes out her phone and speed dials Garcia.

“Hello, you’re reached your technical genius for the afternoon.” She chirps through the phone and Lucy chuckled.

“Hey Garcia, could you check and see if there are any libraries in a 10-mile radius of the parks where the kids were abducted?” Reid asked. Garcia murmured a response but couldn’t be heard over the noise of her typing rapidly.

“There’s three, all community based.” She replied.

“Do any of them do a children book read along?” Lucy requested. More rapid typing could be heard over the phone.

“All three of them do, alongside small art classes as well.” She reports back in.

“Garcia could you send over the addresses of all three and the employee log if you can get them?” Emily asked.

“Already done.” Garcia chirps back up.

“Thanks, Pen.” Lucy smiled lightly at her phone and ends the call.


	5. clear

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the case comes to a brutal end and lucy nearly questions everything she stands for, but the team are there to support her through... especially a certain someone who has caught lucy's eye.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so it's been ages, and i'm so sorry to the people who have been waiting for this chapter! it's been a crazy two months! thank you so much for your comments on the last chapter, they really motivated me to keep writing :)  
> i've rewritten this chapter about four times and i'm finally happy with how it ended! there could be a number of spelling and grammar mistakes as i finished writing this at 2am lmao.  
> please comment with any feedback i would really appreciate it xx

They didn’t wait for JJ and Hotch; Prentiss and Morgan set off to one of the library’s and Reid and Copeland went to the other one. Morgan texted the address of the last one to JJ and Hotch, telling them to follow up on the lead and they’d call to let them know their findings of the other two libraries. 

Reid and Copeland sat quietly in the SUV, Reid in the passenger seat staring out of the window whilst Lucy concentrated on the road. Reid glanced over at Lucy for a moment, a frown on his face.

“What’s with the frown, Reid?” Lucy questioned him, a frown of her own on her face.

“Have you read your letter from Gideon yet?” He asked bluntly. Lucy was silent, in a slight amount of shock but recovered fast.

“No. I haven’t. I’m not sure what it’s going to say, and I’m kind of scared to open it.” She replied honestly.

“It’s Gideon, I doubt it’ll say anything bad. You two were friends, right?” Lucy shrugged at him.

“We were, but we weren’t. We were very close at one point, but I didn’t really hear from him once I’d taken my leave.” 

“He didn’t come and visit you after Elle left?” Spencer was suddenly concerned, his brows furrowed, trying to understand.

“No. He left voicemails, but never came and visited. It had been weeks since I’d heard from him and then you called saying he’d left the BAU… So yeah, I’m afraid of opening the letter as I honestly don’t know what it would say.” Lucy spoke truthfully, knowing she could trust Reid with her secrets.

Reid went silent for a few minutes, daringly glancing over at Lucy to see her facial expression but it had not changed; she still looked completely blank. She continued to drive down the roads to the library.

“Elle murdered him, didn’t she?” Reid spoke in a small voice, afraid of the answer that Lucy was going to give. Lucy took a deep, shuddering breath and tried to ignore the wavering in her voice as she spoke.

“Yes. She did.” She confirmed.

“Why?” Lucy sighed and spared a small glance over at Spencer in sympathy. He sounded sad, he and Elle had been somewhat close in the time they’d worked together.

“She had issues since she got shot. I tried to help her, but she pushed me away every single time. Hotch and I tried to get her to see a therapist, and I was there at every doctor’s appointment getting her better but after that she just pushed me away. She didn’t want the sympathy, she wanted revenge… Honestly, I believe the Elle I knew… She died when she was shot, because the woman afterwards, it wasn’t her.” Lucy’s voice wavered with emotion, and unshed tears began filling her eyes, but she blinked them away furiously.

Reid didn’t say anything else that car journey. He continued to stare out of the window as Lucy continued to drive, almost as if they both had a silent agreement to never speak of the subject again. They arrived ten minutes later and pulled onto the pavement beside the library. 

“Secluded part of the town… Would be a perfect place for the unsub to prey on the quieter kids in town.” Reid noticed. Lucy nodded in agreement, both of them walking quickly inside the library and glancing at all the colourful artwork on the walls – clearly drawn by the children in the art classes. Reid continued looking through the artwork and the leaflets whilst Lucy approached the front-desk where a receptionist was staring intently at her computer.

“Can I help you?” The woman asked, glancing up at Lucy.

“Yeah, I’m Special Agent Copeland with the FBI and that’s Doctor Spencer Reid, please could we look at your employee log and the list of participants in your young children reading and art classes please?” Lucy asked politely, introducing herself and gesturing at Reid who was still flipping through the artwork. The woman at the desk looked startled but nodded.

“Of course, I can print it all off for you. Is this about Josie?” She began tapping away at her computer and Reid suddenly became interested in the conversation.

“You know Josie Summers?” He questioned, deliberately dropping the victim’s name and coming up beside Lucy, sharing a knowing glance with her.

“Yes, the girl comes here with her parents quite a lot. She’s a quiet girl, loves to read and draw pictures. I heard that she’d been taken, it’s awful.” The receptionist answered, pacing over to the printer to the left of the reception and collecting the paperwork for Reid and Lucy.

“Did she participate in the classes?” Lucy asked gently, trying to pry for more information. The receptionist nodded with a small smile on her face.

“Yes, she spent a lot of time in the read-along and artwork classes. It seemed as though she enjoyed it.” 

“Which employees do the artwork and read-along sessions?” Reid questioned, taking the paperwork the receptionist offered to him and quickly scanning through it.

“We alternate, we try to do a different topic each week to keep the children interested and entertained. I did it a fortnight ago, Jonathon did it last week and Mitch is scheduled to finish the classes this week.” She informed, frowning at Reid as he continued flipping through the pages.

“Johnathon Pierce and Mitch Riley, correct?” Reid glanced up from the forms and making direct eye contact with her.

“Yes, that’s them.” The receptionist agreed. Lucy nodded at Reid and walked away, speed-dialling Garcia.

“Hello, my gorgeous Pumpkin. What can I do for you?” She answered cheerfully.

“Hey, can you run the names Johnathon Pierce and Mitch Riley in the system?” Lucy asked, a determined look her face as she glanced back to Reid who was on the phone to Hotch.

“Running them through now, what am I looking for?” She asked.

“Any previous criminal records, and then if they have their height and build to fit the profile.” Lucy answered. 

Garcia hummed on the other side of the line, rapidly typing.

“Johnathon Pierce, 5 foot 11, 150 pounds and has a previous juvey record for petty theft when he was 14.” She reported. Lucy sighed and shook her head.

“He isn’t tall enough and doesn’t weigh enough, plus petty theft from 14 years old wouldn’t just progress into child abduction and murder.” 

“Mitch Riley. Or, better known as Michael Joyce. Michael Joyce and Mitch Riley are the same person, except Mitch Riley has a squeaky-clean record whereas Michael Joyce has previous convictions for sexual assault.” Garcia told and Lucy nodded in understanding, mentally taking notes.

“He’s 44, 6 foot but doesn’t appear to have a weight on here. From his social media page, he’s an athletic guy – runs marathons and does weights. Sending all his info to you now.” She continued tapping away when Lucy got a notification on her phone with all the information.

“You are brilliant, Pen. Thank you.” Lucy replied gratefully.

“I know I am, call me if you need anything else.” Lucy could hear Garcia smirking down the line and disconnected from the line. Lucy ran back over to receptionist.

“Did Mitch do any classes this week? An extra one that he wasn’t supposed to be doing?”

“Umm… He covered Max yesterday as he has stomach flu.” She replied.

“What time was that?” Reid asked, immediately grasping onto Lucy’s thought process.

“3 until 4pm.” The receptionist replied, getting more concerned.  
“Did Josie Summers attend that class?” Lucy interrogated. The receptionist gasped and began rummaging the draws, finding a sign-up sheet and scanning the names.

“Yes, she did. Oh god… You don’t think? -….” She couldn’t finish her sentence and clasped a hand over her mouth.

“We don’t know for certain, but we do need to know something else. Did Ethan Miles and Sarah Bartlett attend any of the classes here?” Reid interjected. The receptionist nodded rapidly and was visibly shaking.

“You need to notify all the parents that the classes will be cancelled for the day and close the library fully. We’ll get some officers down here to speak with you privately about Mitch.” Lucy ordered her and she nodded frantically, pulling the phone from the handset and immediately dialling numbers.

Lucy and Reid exited the library and jumped straight into the SUV. Lucy quickly pulled her phone out and called Hotch, putting it on speaker.

“Hotchner.” He answered sternly.

“Hotch, we’ve got someone who fits the profile. Mitch Riley, but real name is Michael Joyce. Previous record of sexual assault, 44 and fits the description.” Lucy reported.

“He’s been working for the library for 20 years, so it is most likely where he’s started abducting.” Reid pitched in.

“JJ and I will give the profile to the precinct. We won’t set up a press conference in case we spook him. Get back here and work through all the information that Garcia has given you. Once we’re certain, then we go to his address. We’re sending officers to the library now.” Hotch ordered.

“Yes, sir.” Lucy confirmed and ended the call. 

Lucy and Reid drove back, both firing theories of the case at each other and picking pieces of information apart. As they got back to the precinct, the rest of the team were waiting in the briefing room for both of them.

“Garcia faxed the information over, and we have copies. He lines up with the profile and it’s very possible he did the previous abductions too.” JJ told Reid and Lucy as they entered the room.

“The receptionist at the library was helpful, we have the employee logs and class information.” Reid replied, passing the papers over to JJ to read over.

“Garcia managed to get into the library database, they have slowly been updating their visiting logs online and both recent victims attended the classes. Also, the previous victims also attended their study sessions they do there as well.” Prentiss spoke, glancing at the paper and then taking a quick look over at Lucy who was intently staring at the glass board with the links written all over it.

“I know that face. What are you thinking, Copeland?” Morgan addressed her look and she glanced over at him.

“He fits the profile… But what’s his stressor? Committing sexual assault and then going to kidnapping children and murdering them? And then the torture afterwards! It doesn’t make any sense.” She replied. 

“Did he have any family?” Prentiss piped up, coming over and standing beside Lucy and looking at the board with her.

“Mitch Riley didn’t, but Michael Joyce had a younger brother.” Hotch responded, calling Garcia.

“Shoot, my little friends.” She answered the line.

“Garcia look into Michael Joyce’s younger brother. Anything on him?” He asked, tapping his foot whilst waiting for a reply as there was rapid typing heard on the other line.

“He died six years ago… In the police report, it’s said to have been a prank gone wrong but from the photographs and the report from the ME… It was ugly. Sending copies over to you now.” She replied, just as team’s phones all rang out in unison. Lucy looked up from her phone and shared a knowing look with Hotch.

“One year from his death is when the first kid was abducted. That can’t be a coincidence.” She said to him and he nodded.

“ME report of his brother’s death – very similar to the ME report of the latest two victims.” Reid told them.

“Why go to the younger kids if he started with the older ones?” JJ raised.

“The older kids can fight back, the younger ones have less of a chance of fighting back and if they did, they’d do minimal damage.” Reid replied quickly.

“He’s spiralling, he’s re-creating his brother’s death… But why?” Morgan sighed in frustration.

“Nobody was arrested for his brother’s death. Whoever did this took their time and brutally tortured him. It was murder, but the police just swept it under the rug.” Prentiss sighed sadly as she read the report from Lucy’s phone, edging closer to her unknown to herself and Lucy, but the team noticed.

“He’s making his own justice.” Lucy agreed with Prentiss.

“Garcia, have you got his address?” Hotch questioned.

“Already sent over now.” She confirmed and ended the phone call. The team rushed out of the briefing room, then quickly briefing the precinct and went straight out the cars. They rode in two separate SUVs, the officers following them. 

Soon, they all arrived at the unsub’s address. As they reached the address, the team hopped out of the cars and got strapped in the body armour and surveyed the house for available entrances and exits. 

“Prentiss, Morgan. You two take the front door and check the upstairs of the house. JJ, Reid, you two enter the backdoor and sweep the back rooms and Copeland and I will sweep the front rooms.” Hotch ordered and everyone nodded. Lucy quickly pulled her hair back into a ponytail and followed Prentiss, Morgan and Hotch to the front door with the officers backing them up from behind them.

Morgan kicked the door down and immediately he and Prentiss went straight upstairs whilst Hotch and Copeland swept the front rooms. Firm voices shouting CLEAR from upstairs as they cleared the individual rooms of the house. Lucy swept the front room whilst Hotch checked the office next door.

“CLEAR!” Hotch shouted from the room.

“CLEAR!” Lucy shouted from the front room, keeping her glock in her hands whilst she waited for the resounding clears from the back rooms.

“Clear back here!” JJ called from the kitchen.

“Clear here too.” Reid agreed from the dining room.

Prentiss and Morgan came downstairs, holstering their weapons. 

“Clear upstairs. No sign of him.” Morgan grumbled in pure anger.

“Check the house and see if there is anything that forensics can pick up. If he was here, we’ll find a trace.” Hotch ordered firmly, clearly angered by the unsub’s disappearance. 

The team dispersed and began searching through the rooms. Lucy stayed in the front room and began peering into the bookcases, drawers and through the cabinets. Nothing, there was still no trace. It was strange, this was the unsub’s family home, by all accounts he wouldn’t leave here – especially if he was spiralling from his brother’s death. Just as she was about to leave the room, she noticed a scuff on the hardwood floor, next to a rug. With her shoe, she flicked the rug and noticed an opening. She rolled the rug up and found a full trapdoor underneath the rug.

“Hotch!! I have something!” She yelled. Hotch paced into the room and noticed the trap door immediately, getting his gun from his holster and raising it before silently creeping over to the other side of the trapdoor and getting ready to open it.

He mouthed a countdown to five before he slowly opened the trapdoor and crept down the stairs, Lucy following him. It was pitch black, and the rooms underneath were the size of the ground floor of the house. They clicked on their flashlights and silently searched the first room. 

“You check the left; I’ll check the right.” Lucy whispered to him, and he nodded firmly, both of them separating in the dark and going off to the different rooms. As she crept in and scanned the room, it was empty. She sighed in frustration.

“Clear!”

“Clear!” Hotch yelled from the other room, and Lucy flipped the light switch on next to her, revealing a nasty scene in front of her.

Blood was covering a medical table in the middle of the room, a number of surgical scalpels that were also coated in blood and dirt, dirty and frail rope that had clearly been used to hold the victims down and a silver necklace.

“Hotch! I’ve got something!” Lucy called out to him, quickly holstering her weapon and grabbing some plastic gloves from her back pocket to inspect the necklace. She dangled it in front of her ears, the chain was pristine silver and there was a silver heart-shaped outline that hung upon the chain. Hotch swiftly entered the room, seeing the mess of the room but not one emotion ran across his face.

“Victims?” He questioned, looking at the necklace himself.

“Not sure, is it worth getting the parents all together and see if they can identify it?” She asked him.

“Forensics will take it back and NYPD can question the parents about the necklace. If the unsub isn’t here, then there is a possibility he’s progressing and is dumping the body.” Hotch said.

“Oh my god…” A small voice gasped from the door; a young woman who was dressed in forensics wear covered her mouth in shock. She then shook her head to herself and then got to work inside the room, gathering the evidence on the table first.

Lucy’s face was emotionless but all she could feel inside was dread. The kid could already be dead, had they already been too late? Hotch knew she was struggling. He squeezed her shoulder gently as he gently brushed past her and went upstairs. Lucy followed quietly, trying to think of different theories other than the child being dead already.

“You good?” Morgan asked her as she reached the top.

“The job never gets any easier, does it?” She sighed and he shook his head. Morgan put his hand on her back and patted gently.

“Forensics are going to sweep the place; we’re going to the dumpsite to see if the unsub is there.” Hotch ordered, a stern look on his thin lips. The team nodded silently and left the house, getting in their different SUVS. 

As Lucy climbed into the driver’s seat, with Reid beside her in the passenger seat and they sped off in front.

They powered down the roads in silence, trying to ignore the thoughts of the kid being dead and having to break the news to the parents that they couldn’t save her. Lucy had done it a few times, and it’s one of the worst things she’s had to do. She could deal with gore and all things like that, but telling a parent that their child is dead and that they failed to save them? It didn’t sit well with her, and it gave her a deep urge to pull over and empty her stomach content. They drove for a while, but neither Reid or Lucy uttered a word to one another, both of them processing the evidence in their own ways.

The dumpsite was a large covered green with trees crowding over the space, but there was a small spot where a grey Sedan was parked up already nearby them and Lucy swallowed a lump that came to her throat. They pulled up alongside it and Reid quickly jumped out of the car, Lucy behind him. They drew their weapons at the car, advancing it quickly. 

Reid peered through the driver and passenger seats, whilst Lucy checked the back. There was a small pool of blood on the backseats, and a few droplets on the front seats and the steering wheel.

“It’s got to be the unsubs car.” Reid said. 

“What if the blood isn’t just the victims, but the unsub’s too?” Lucy theorised. Reid nodded in understanding.

“There’s a possibility that Josie could have fought back.” 

Lucy opened her mouth to say something but noticed that Hotch, JJ, Morgan and Prentiss had pulled over and they came rushing over.

“Josie could still be alive, there’s a sign of a possible struggle in the car and the unsub may be injured.” Reid informed Hotch and he nodded.

“Split up and search the ground, we need to be fast in-case she’s alive. Morgan with me, Copeland with Prentiss and Reid with JJ.” Hotch announced and the team swiftly split up into their pairs and ran off in different directions.

Lucy and Emily carefully crept around the woods, trying to find any evidence that the unsub had dragged a body through the dirt. The sun was setting over the horizon, so slowly the light was filtering out through the trees making it darker and harder to see the path and any tracks. Lucy pulled a small flashlight from her pocket and shined it on the dirt and noticed a small patch of fresh dirt and blood.

“Blood.” Prentiss confirmed as she knelt down beside it and touched the earth.

“It continues up through here.” Lucy shined the flashlight down the path, showing Prentiss the small blood trail.

“I’ll get Hotch and let hi-…” Emily went to get her phone but was interrupted by a loud scream.

Emily and Lucy immediately shared a look and then ran off into the direction of the scream. As they sped through the forest, they noticed there was a bigger blood trail in front of them, and then a dirt clearing in the wood. And in the middle, stood the unsub struggling against the small girl.

“FBI! Don’t move!” Emily stated sternly, a fury behind her eyes as she had her Glock aimed right at the unsub’s head.

“Let her go, Mitch.” Lucy ordered beside Emily; her gun also aimed at the unsub. Josie was underneath the unsub and struggling against him. She was badly injured, blood dripping down from her forehead. 

“No. I can’t… She has to pay.” Mitch gritted out, pulling Josie from beneath him and holding her by the neck.

“She hasn’t done anything wrong, Mitch. She’s not the one you want.” Emily tried to plead with him.

“They murdered him!! He was sweet and innocent, and they killed him.” Mitch was breaking down, but his grip stayed fierce on Josie and it was obvious she was struggling to breathe.

“Mitch, she didn’t do this. You need to let her go. There will be justice for your brother, but if you kill her-… If you do this, there will never be justice for him. You’ll never know who did it.” Lucy bargained with him gently, slowly creeping closer without his knowledge.

“No!! She did it!! She killed him!!” He screamed out, staring at Josie, who’s eyes started to close as unconsciousness was sweeping her from the lack of oxygen.

“Mitch! Mitch, look at her!! That’s not who killed your brother! She is a child; someone’s daughter and she did not kill your brother. Your brother died five years ago, she isn’t much older than that, she could not have killed him. Let her go, she isn’t the enemy.” Lucy shouted back at him, quickly sharing a knowing look with Emily – they had to act – Now.

Mitch went silent and his grip seemed to loosen on Josie as he glanced at her. His eyes almost widened at his actions as if he couldn’t believe he was doing it. 

“Oh god…” He whispered as sobs overtook him and Josie was released, and he collapsed onto the floor, sobs wrecking him.

They both rushed over, Emily forcing Mitch’s hands behind his back and putting handcuffs tightly around his wrists whilst Lucy knelt next to Josie and checked her over.

But there was something wrong.

Josie wasn’t breathing, she had succumbed to her injuries and the difficulty to breathe. 

Lucy flipped Josie onto her back and quickly started CPR, her hands pressing deeply into her chest as she tried to resuscitate the small girl. Emily forced Mitch up and stared at Lucy, her eyes wide and her face pure shock. As she was staring, the rest of the team finally ran up to the clearing.

Lucy continued to press against Josie’s chest, stopping periodically to check her pulse, but nothing seemed to happen. Everything around her was white noise at his point, somewhere along the timeline Hotch had ordered for a medical team to come to their location now as he knelt beside Lucy as she continued the compressions.

She stopped for a moment and checked for a pulse again.

Still nothing.

So, she continued compressions, and as she carried on pressed down harshly on the girl’s chest, she could feel a rib cracking and she felt the bile rise in the throat but pushed on through. At some point Hotch had knelt down beside her and pressed his fingers against the girl’s pulse point on her neck – trying to help.

“EMTS are here!” Morgan yelled, rushing back to the clearing with them in tow. At some point the team had disappeared to find the medics, but Lucy had been so focussed on saving Josie’s life she hadn’t noticed.

The EMTS dropped down beside Josie’s body and pushed Lucy out of the way. Hotch got up and pulled Lucy up beside him, both of them watching as the EMTS continued compressions and got the defib ready.

“Clear!” The EMT called and Josie’s body shook, but nothing happened again. They continued compressions and charged again.

“Clear!” They called against, but again nothing happened. Lucy shared a glance with Hotch who’s eyes softened as he glanced over at her.

“Clear!” They yelled for a final time, but once again all that was heard was the harrowing flatline.

Lucy turned away and bowed her head, avoiding the sympathetic look from Hotch as her eyes started to shine with unshed tears. She took a shaky breath and started to walk away

“We have a heartrate!” The EMT suddenly yelled, and Lucy turned back as quickly as a bullet out of a gun.

“Pulse is weak, but heartrate is steady. Get her stable and ready for transportation.” The other EMT said, getting to work on the wounds on her body.

Lucy and Hotch shared a look and an audible sigh of relief, and Hotch almost had a small smile on his lips.

“Well done, Agent. If you hadn’t started compressions when you did, chances are she wouldn’t have made it.” The EMT praised as they got Josie onto a stretcher. Lucy shared a small smile with the EMT, and walked away from the scene, her hands shaking from adrenaline and her breathing unsteady.

As they got out the forest, Lucy watched Josie being loaded up into the ambulance and Prentiss wandered over to her.

“Morgan’s called the family; they’re going to meet at the hospital… You saved her life.” Prentiss nudged Lucy, a relieved smile on her lips. Lucy shook her head.

“I was doing my job; I just hope she’s going to be okay… This would be traumatic for anyone… But for a little girl? The effects are going to be evil.” She sighed and Prentiss shook her head, gently grabbing one of Lucy’s hands and squeezing it comfortingly.

“Her injuries weren’t too severe, the mental side I can’t even imagine what that’s going to be like; but she’s alive because of you! You saved her; you did that.” She praised Lucy, and Lucy’s lips quirked upwards for a moment whilst she tried to ignore her rapid heartbeat from the contact with Emily.

“Thank you.” She whispered and Emily nodded, squeezing her hand for a final time and then letting go. 

They had packed up the office and boarded the jet, all of the agents exhausted from such a brutal case. Lucy had sat next to Morgan, with Prentiss opposite them both. JJ and Reid were sat on the other sat, opposite one another and Hotch sat on his own at the front. 

Lucy let out a yawn and Morgan chuckled at her, patting his shoulder gently and Lucy laid her head against him, getting comfortable in a position that she could sleep in. Within a few minutes, she was out like a light with Morgan alongside her, snoring away.

They slept for the rest of the journey home, and then awoke just as the plane landed.

“Welcome back, sleeping beauty.” Prentiss teased Lucy as she rubbed her eyes.

“We’ve landed already?” Lucy’s voice croaked as she tried to wake herself up.

“Yep, you and Morgan slept the whole flight. Pretty cute actually.” She joked, showing a quick picture that she’d snapped of them both curled up.

“Delete that, now!” Morgan tried to swipe her phone from beside Lucy.

“Oh, it’s already gone to Garcia.” Prentiss faked a tone of apology and Morgan rolled his eyes alongside Lucy.

“Anyone up for drinks tonight? Could sure use it.” Morgan asked the whole plane.

“Sure, I suppose.” Reid agreed.

“I guess.” JJ and Prentiss echoed. Morgan glanced over at Lucy next to him and Hotch at the back of the plane.

“What about you, Hotch? Coming for a beer?” Morgan questioned with a smirk on his face.

“If you’re buying.” Hotch answered, a look of amusement on his face.

“What about you, Peaches? You coming out with us all tonight?” Morgan almost looked like he was going to beg. She sighed and shook her head.

“Look, as much as I’d love to; I am exhausted and just want to curl up in bed. You guys have fun though.”

“Come on, Peaches! Please, just one.” Morgan pleaded, his eyes staring at her like he was a puppy.

“Next time, Derek. I promise, I’m just not feeling it tonight.” Lucy apologised. Morgan sighed and nodded.

“Alright, Luce. Just, if you need anything please call.” He whispered and Lucy nodded.

“You know I will.” She lied.

She wouldn’t call, she couldn’t. She wasn’t ready for that.

It was around 10pm. Lucy had changed out of her work clothes into some grey sweatpants and baggy pale pink hoodie that made her seem so small. Her long brown locks had been tied into a messy ponytail and her cheeks had tear stains down them where she had been crying as soon as she got into the door.

This case had been brutal and had taken its toll on her. Lucy was exhausted, but too scared to sleep as every time she closed her eyes, all she could see was their faces. The previous victims they couldn’t save plagued her mind, like a permanent dark cloud over her. 

She’d settled for an all-nighter on her couch, watching anything upbeat to try and lift the dark mood she was in. Hotch, very kindly had offered everyone a day off so she could spend the day tomorrow sleeping, right now she wanted any reason to try and forget this case.

Maybe she should’ve gone out with the team, but all she could think of is the pitiful eyes and the apologetic comments she’d get, and all she wanted was to be treated normally and not like something that’s going to breakdown. So, she hides her feelings until she’s completely alone, and then she lets the emotions loose. 

As she cuddled into her couch and burrowed into her dozens of blankets, she continued watching reruns of Friends, sometimes laughing at the stupid jokes.

Until, she was interrupted by a knock at the door. 

Lucy frowned. It was 10pm, her phone was off, and the team had gone out. So, who else could it be?

She was tempted to leave it, but there was another knock which was slightly stronger than the last one and she sighed in annoyance, getting out of her comfortable nest she’d created and stomped over to the door, opening it.

“Prentiss? What are you doing here?” Lucy was met with a huge shock, where Emily Prentiss was standing outside her apartment with a bag of what looked like takeout in one hand, and a bottle of red wine in the other.

“Hey, Copeland! I hope you don’t mind. Garcia gave me your address and I figured you might want some company? I brought Chinese and semi-decent wine.” She smiled nervously and Lucy’s heart started having palpitations.

“I mean… I was going to have an early night.” She tried to turn her away, but Emily suddenly looked more determined.

“Look, I get it. This case was a brutal one, and you probably want to be on your own… But sometimes, it’s better to be with someone you trust than alone.” She stated and Lucy sighed, glancing up at the floor and then back up at Prentiss who then smiled warmly at her.

“Alright… Come in.” She caved and Emily grinned at her, following her into the apartment.

“Wow, your place is gorgeous.” Emily complimented as she stared around her lounge.

“Uhh… Thanks, It’s a bit of a mess right now… If I knew you were coming I would’ve…” Lucy was embarrassed, the apartment wasn’t too messy, but it could’ve been better.

“No, not at all! I’m sorry for dropping in on you.” She apologised and Lucy waved her off as she went into the kitchen.

“Don’t apologise. Chances are I wouldn’t have slept anyway.” She said, returning to the lounge with some plates and wine glasses. 

They both settled onto the couch, Emily started pouring out the wine whilst Lucy began picking at the takeout. As Emily was focused on pouring their wine, Lucy glanced at her and found some warmth entering her body and pushing away the dark cloud. Emily was wearing a love burgundy sweater and black skinny jeans, clearly dressed up ready to go out with the team. But what made her change her mind?

Lucy pushed these thoughts away as they both made small talk and exchanged stories whilst eating their takeout and drinking wine. Emily told Lucy about how much she moved around as a kid, and Lucy told Emily about her family and how she was brought up.

“So… Let me get this right? Your mom is British, your dad is American, your step-mom is American, and you have one older brother who’s British like you, and two half-brothers who are American?” Emily stared at Lucy in disbelief over her complicated family.

“Yep. Grew up in England until I was 16 and I moved over to Seattle to live with my dad, step-mum and half-brothers whilst my mum worked overseas, and my older brother was at Uni.” Lucy explained as if it were easy.

“Woah, holidays must be interesting.” Emily smirked and Lucy rolled her eyes and let out a genuine snort of laughter, which made Emily’s face light up and she basked in the warmth of making Lucy laugh.

“I try to spend every Christmas if I can, my mum and older brother both work overseas so it’s difficult to see them. Both of them are trauma surgeons, my brother serves in Afghanistan and mum is in Iraq, but she moves about to wherever she’s needed. Thanksgiving is always with my dad, step-mum and other brothers.” Lucy told Emily and she smiled as she continued to explain, loving that she seemed to be opening up to her.

“Must’ve been interesting when you didn’t follow the footsteps and become a surgeon like them?” Emily asked and Lucy shrugged, sipping the wine from her glass.

“I always knew I didn’t want to do the medical side. I witnessed my older brother struggle in school for the best grades he could, when I was more bothered about playing football and hanging out with my friends… I was definitely the less disciplined out of the two of us.” She laughed and Emily nodded.

“What’s the age difference between you and your brother?” Lucy thought for a moment.

“Three academic years, but technically two- and a-bit years, I think? English school is so different compared to the American system.” 

“Yeah, I can imagine that. Reid once mentioned that Gideon had met your older brother once.” Emily briefly mentioned and was expecting Lucy to dodge the comment completely, but instead she nodded.

“He did. My brother came back to visit once when he’d finished his latest tour. He met Gideon and Hotch but thank god he missed the rest of the team.” 

“He didn’t meet Elle?” Emily felt like she was definitely prying here, but she so desperately wanted to know more about Lucy, and she felt like asking outright was the only way.

“Oh, he did. Very briefly though, I’m not sure what he thought of her. He’s a hard man to impress unfortunately.” Emily snorted and grinned at Lucy.

“Like his sister then.” Lucy laughed and shook her head.

“Well, I come from a military family background, so it takes a lot to impress me… I don’t think he liked Elle though, could tell by the way he screwed his face up when he spoke to her that one time he met her… Guess he was right though.” Lucy murmured towards the end, and Emily could see the sadness creeping in.

“Hey, you okay?” Emily asked sympathetically, her leg nudging Lucy’s on the couch. Lucy sighed and shrugged.

“I don’t know… Talking about Elle and Gideon, normally I’d be really upset but now, I guess I feel guilty.” Lucy explained and Emily nodded in understand.

“Luce… It’s only natural to move on, especially after what’s happened and what they did. It’s been a long time, and you deserve to be happy. Don’t feel guilty for doing that.” She explained, placing a hand on her knee and squeezing gently. 

“I’m just still so angry at them! They both left without saying goodbye, and at least Gideon left me a letter. Elle just upped and left, like everything we had meant nothing… I wish that I wasn’t so angry at them, but they hurt me so badly.” Lucy ranted and Emily sat and listened to every word.

“You are entitled to be angry. What they did, was in-excusable. Nobody deserves to feel the pain you did. You are allowed to be hurt and angry. It’s okay.” Emily soothed. Lucy sighed and nodded.

“Did you know, the day I met you… I was going to leave.” She admitted and Emily raised an eyebrow at her in surprise.

“What made you stay?” She asked gently. Lucy hesitated for a moment, thinking of her answer and then glanced up at Emily, a soft smile on her lips.

“Strauss gave me two weeks. Two weeks of being back at work… But within the first few hours of being back, I already felt more like myself than I had done in months. And then when I was back in the field, working with everyone… It just made me forget what was happening in my life and focus on the case at hand. I was happy, and not hurting nearly as much as I had done.” She admitted, and Emily beamed at her, her hand squeezing Lucy’s knee again.

“You don’t know how good that is to hear. We’d be lost without you on that team, you make a huge difference. Like you did today… You saved a girl’s life today, Luce. You did an incredible thing, and you work so hard to save others too. You deserve happiness.” Emily smiled, staring up at Lucy.

Lucy smiled back at her as she gazed towards Emily and they sat in a heavy silence, both of them gazing and smiling at one another.

Emily didn’t know what started it, but she found herself glancing down at Lucy’s lips. 

Lucy followed Emily’s movements, and slowly they both went to lean into one another. Lucy’s mind couldn’t catch up with her movements and they were mere centimetres away from each other when a loud knock caused them to jolt apart.

They were both in shock, and Lucy couldn’t ignore the slight sense of disappointment in not knowing what Emily’s lips would’ve tasted like. They both glanced at each other, red blushes on their cheeks.

Lucy coughed and awkwardly scratched her neck whilst getting up off the couch.

“I’m going to get that.” She mumbled and left the lounge. Emily groaned silently and leaned back into the couch. She nearly kissed her!! Why couldn’t she control herself?? Lucy is just a friend and work colleague. Nothing more!!

So why couldn’t she get the idea that Lucy’s lips looked like they’d taste of the vanilla coffee she loved drinking so much?

As Lucy opened the door, she was met with the shock of the whole team standing on her doorway.

“We brought more drinks. Garcia may have blurted out that Prentiss was here, and we figured we’d come and check on you… Make sure you’re okay.” Morgan smiled, a slight hint of teasing in his voice. Garcia grinned sheepishly at her beside Morgan.

Lucy rolled her eyes, but a warm smile stayed on her face as she stared at the whole team on her doorstep – even Hotch had come.

“Come on in, then.” She smiled, leading them all into the lounge where Prentiss was sat. Prentiss smiled at the team, clearly knowing more than she let on when it was just the two of them earlier. 

Even though the whole team was there in her apartment, she couldn’t help but feel the small hint of resentment towards them, as if they’d hadn’t turned up… Maybe she would’ve kissed Prentiss.

And who knows what would’ve happened if she did.


	6. goodbye

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> lucy feels strained from the team after david rossi makes an appearance, and strauss makes her an offer she can't refuse. but the worst thing was yet to happen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey!! thank you so much for your kind words on my last chapter:) i hope you guys enjoy this one, please leave comments with feedback! <3

Things had been slightly awkward for Emily and Lucy after their near-kiss experience. Truthfully, neither of them knew how to approach the situation. Emily was too scared to push after everything Lucy had been through with Elle, she didn’t want to pressure her into something she wasn’t even sure she wanted. Lucy on the other hand, was freaking out.

Feelings for another co-worker? In the same office that she fell for someone before. Was she going for some kind of record? She wasn’t sure how she felt, but she couldn’t deny that she was attracted to Emily, and she loved spending time with her, and she was different to Elle. Elle and Lucy’s relationship was very much based on Elle being the talker, and Lucy being the listener. But with Emily and Lucy, they both shared the burden of talking and they both listened to one another when they needed to rant.

Lucy didn’t feel the way for Emily the way she felt for Elle, so in Lucy’s mind that meant she didn’t like Emily like that at all. But that explanation wasn’t correct, because if it was, Lucy wouldn’t be constantly thinking about that near kiss with Emily, and how it would’ve felt if they did kiss.

A few weeks had passed, and the team had noticed a slight rift in their partnership. On the surface, it looked as if they were fine but upon looking at it deeper, it was clear there was some sort of issue going on. 

Another thing had happened since their “almost kiss”, David Rossi had joined the team. He wasn’t a team player, but it was clear he was trying to learn. He got on well with Prentiss, and that didn’t sit well with Lucy. Then again, the idea of Rossi being even on the team didn’t sit well with her. She was suspicious of him, and he knew it, so he didn’t treat her as nicely as he did the rest of the team, but Lucy unfortunately was used to being shunned out.

It wasn’t that she didn’t respect Rossi, in fact it was the far opposite – she really respected him. But she didn’t trust him, and it takes her time to trust people. And now, she was feeling put-out by the team as it almost looked like they followed his lead, so she stayed quiet. 

It was early on a Monday morning, and Lucy was especially tired today and was dreading work, she couldn’t seem to get rid of this unsettling feeling in her stomach that something bad was going to happen; but she pushed past it and got ready for the day. She threw on a pair of burgundy tapered trousers that reached her ankles, a black t-shirt and then the matching burgundy jacket that went with the trousers. As she got dressed, her phone buzzed with a text from Reid, which was unusual.

REID: Carpool to work today?”

Lucy frowned at the message as she tied white trainers onto her feet and then quickly tapped a reply.

LUCY: Pick you up in 15?

REID: Meet you outside my apartment.

She placed her phone careful inside the side pocket of her trousers and grabbed her satchel with all her work stuff inside. Glancing at the mirror, she quickly pulled her hair into a slick ponytail, leaving a small amount of hair out of it to frame her face. She locked her apartment, took the elevator down and went through to the parking lot and jumped into her car. She chucked her satchel onto the backseat of her SUV and sighed as she leaned against the steering wheel. Lucy really didn’t want to go into work, in-fact there was this devil on her shoulder telling her to call in sick and curl back up into bed and forget about everything around her. But before she could even consider that thought properly, her phone buzzed again.

REID: You left yet?

She rolled her eyes, but a small smile played on her lips at the impatient doctor.

LUCY: On my way, jeez

Putting her phone into the glove compartment, she buckled up and set off on her drive to Reid’s place. She’d been there a few times in the recent weeks to watch Doctor Who together, they’d often have heated debates on which Doctor is the best – Lucy insisting the newer ones were better but Reid going on about how the older ones are classics, but despite that, Lucy had a good time because she didn’t feel left out by him. As she drove, she heard her phone buzz from the phone compartment, and she rolled her eyes again thinking it was Reid. 

10 minutes later, she’d arrived outside his apartment complex and Reid stood on the sidewalk and as soon as he noticed she was there, came jogging over and jumping into the passenger seat.

“You know, you didn’t have to text me four times. I’m literally on time.” Lucy teased him.

“I texted you three times, not four.” He remarked quickly, passing his satchel onto her backseats next to Lucy’s. Lucy frowned, and quickly checked her phone from the glove compartment and noticed Morgan had also texted her.

MORGAN: Drinks later on? 

Lucy frowned and glanced over at Reid.

“Did Morgan text you about drinks later?” She asked him and he nodded.

“Yeah, I think he texted the whole team.” Reid replied.

“Huh…” She mumbled, unheard by Reid as she left Morgan on read and started up the car again.

The drive to the BAU was a peaceful drive, Reid was chattering on about Doctor Who, still disagreeing with Lucy’s opinion. As they pulled into the BAU parking lot, she noticed Prentiss, JJ and Rossi all walking into the building together.

“Did you want to catch up with Emily before we get in?” Reid piped up suddenly. Lucy sighed and shook her head.

“Nah, I just want to get on with today and go home.” She replied.

“So, you’re not coming for drinks later?” He questioned her and she shook her head.

“Sorry, Spencer. Just not feeling it today.” She apologised, grabbing their satchels and passing Reid’s to him and then clambered out of the car.

“You said that last week… Lucy are you okay?” He asked her, his eyes suddenly staring at her and she could see the concern on her face. She smiled forcefully and nodded.

“Yeah, I’m good. Just tired.” She lied. Well, she wasn’t totally lying, she was tired; but in a whole different meaning.

“Did you know that 1 in 100-…” Reid started to spout a fact and Lucy cut him off with a chuckle.

“If you’re about to give me facts about people not getting enough sleep then trust me, I already know.” 

“So why aren’t you getting any sleep?” He questioned her as they got into the newly emptied elevator. She shrugged.

“Sometimes I can’t shut my brain off.” Another lie, she was sleeping. In fact, she spent most of her days off that used to be filled with spending time with Prentiss sleeping. She thought that the team might’ve noticed that she’d got quieter over time, and her voice had gotten smaller when discussing theories over the case, or that she didn’t go shopping with the girls anymore or go spar with Morgan. But they didn’t. It was like she was slipping away in front of them.

“When are you going to stop lying?” Reid’s voice wavered, thick with concern and a slight hint of frustration. Lucy sighed and watched Reid in the corner of her eye before turning to him.

“I don’t know.” She replied honestly. His head turned slightly in confusion to her answer.

“I want to help you.” He whispered. 

“Trust me, Spence. You already are.” Her voice was thick with emotions as the glanced at the doctor who threw his arms around her for a quiet moment, just as the elevator doors opened.

They pulled apart, and she smiled weakly at him.

“I didn’t know how much I needed that. Thank you.” She whispered to him and he nodded in understanding, and they both got off the elevator and wandered over to the bullpen. 

“You two carpool this morning?” Morgan asked as he glanced up at the two of them standing together. Reid nodded and then shared a smile with Lucy.

“You good?” He then asked Lucy, who smiled and nodded, nudging Reid slightly before retreating to her desk opposite Prentiss. 

“Morning.” Lucy greeted her, not looking at her as she sat her bag down next to her desk. Prentiss glanced upwards and smiled sheepishly at Lucy.

“Morning. Have a good weekend?” She tried to make small talk. Lucy glanced over to Reid, smiling at him as he pulled a face at her from his desk.

“Yeah, it was alright. Yours?” She returned the question politely.

“We missed you at the shopping trip this weekend.” Prentiss didn’t respond to the question, instead stated something that made Lucy’s heart drop and clench in guilt.

“Sorry… I just-… I don’t know.” She mumbled, glancing up to Prentiss who looked like Lucy had kicked her puppy.

“Look I know that – “Prentiss went to speak but was interrupted by a shout coming from by the briefing room.

“Copeland, my office. NOW.” Strauss boomed, looking like she was ready to start a very large argument. 

Lucy swallowed. This is what the bad feeling was about, fantastic. She was about to get reprimanded by Strauss, which was the last thing she wanted or needed right now. She slowly rose from her desk chair and left the bullpen, sharing a scared look with Prentiss. 

As she got to Strauss’ office, she knocked politely on her office door and then entered. Strauss’ face was like thunder, and she stood impatiently at her desk, and then gestured to the chair in front of the desk which Lucy sat in sheepishly.

“Hand in your badge and gun. Now, I don’t have all day.” She spat at her, sitting down in her large desk chair in front of Lucy. Lucy was shocked, she hadn’t done anything wrong! She had filled out her paperwork, she’d been at work on cases and she’d still been putting in the effort.

“M’am please, I-…” She tried to reason with her, but Strauss shook her head at her angrily.

“No excuses, Copeland. Hand them over, now.” She snapped, and Lucy pulled the badge and her gun from their places on her trousers, handing them over to Strauss.

“She’s firing her.” Reid spoke in shock, staring at the scene from the bullpen.

“No way.” Prentiss scoffed in disbelief, but then her jaw dropped as she watched Lucy hand her gun and badge to Strauss.

“Does Hotch know?” Garcia asked, her voice small and thick with sadness. 

“Does Hotch know what?” He questioned, his eyebrow raised at Garcia, Rossi and JJ alongside him.

“Did you know that Strauss is firing Lucy?!” Morgan interrogated him angrily. Hotch frowned and then glanced over at the office as Strauss closed the blinds of her office, knowing they were all watching.

“What? She can’t… Hotch?” JJ spluttered in confusion.

“Erin can do whatever she wants, as she has demonstrated many times.” Rossi sighed sadly.

“She might not be firing her?” Prentiss suggested in hope and Morgan snorted.

“How many people have gone into her office, handed in their gun and badge and then lived to tell the tale?” He said, his tone bitter.

“Hotch! You’ve got to know something.” Reid said in desperation. Hotch sighed and glanced down at the young doctor.

“Strauss is my boss, if she’s firing her then I can’t stop her. I suggest you all get back to work.” Hotch ordered and Morgan laughed bitterly.

“This is bullshit, Hotch! She can’t just fire Lucy, she’s done nothing wrong.” Reid exploded in fury.

“Spence…” JJ tried to comfort Reid by putting her hand on his shoulder, but he shook it off.

“You know something we don’t.” Prentiss said, her eyes wide as she profiled Hotch’s behaviour.

“Aaron?” Rossi questioned; his eyebrow raised at his friend. Hotch’s face clenched in anger as he turned to his team.

“Strauss is well within her rights to change the team as and when she wants to. If she has decided that Copeland isn’t a fit with the team anymore then it’s above me. Get back to work. Now.” He ordered the team strictly. 

The team stood in shock at him. They were so used to him defending the young agent that they never thought he’d take Strauss’ side in this argument. Garcia had tears falling onto her cheeks, quickly dashing back into her lair, Morgan following her to comfort her. 

Reid sank into his chair and tried to stop his hands from shaking in anger towards his boss. He held his tongue, not wanting to explode at his boss again and risk losing his own job. Prentiss glared at Hotch, then glancing at Rossi and JJ, who both looked just as shocked as everyone else. She found herself at her desk again and felt her desk chair swallow her alongside her thoughts. If Lucy was fired, was this the last time she’d see her? 

“Ma’am please, whatever I’ve done I can explain.” Lucy tried to plead with Strauss as she shut the blinds. Strauss’ lips stayed firmly together as she sat down back, her eyes glancing towards the door, the window and Lucy in front of her. 

She reached down into her desk, pulled out and envelope and handed it to Lucy.

“You’ve been selected for a deep-undercover assignment. Inside this envelope is details of your new identity and a plane ticket to Chicago where you will be flying to once this conversation is over. You will have no communication with the team inside the BAU and no communication with your family, as it would put them at risk. Any questions?” Strauss explained seriously.

“I-… Sorry, what?” Lucy spluttered in complete and utter confusion. Strauss sighed.

“To elaborate, you’ve been requested by another undercover FBI agent who’s based in Chicago to join the investigation. You will be briefed when you land as you are picked up at the airport.” 

“How long?” Lucy asked, her voice small.

“As long as the job takes. It could be weeks; it could be months.” Straus replied.

“What about my apartment?”

“We’ll cover your rent and any other bills whilst you are undercover.” 

“My family can’t know, so what will they be told?” 

“It’ll be disclosed that you were fired from the FBI, but we cannot give them anymore information.” 

“Can I say goodbye to the team and my family?” She knew the answer to this question, but she felt compelled to ask anyway.

“No, I’m sorry. Your flight leaves soon, and I shall escort you outside the building where there will be a driver ready to pick you up.” Strauss genuinely seemed apologetic about the situation.

In truth, Lucy wasn’t sure how she felt about the whole thing. On the one hand, she was heartbroken because she had to leave her family – both of her families. She knew her parents and brothers would worry, and even though her relationship with the team was strained right now, they would worry too, possibly to the same extent as her family. 

However, she knew that because she’d been selected, she had to go. And it would be easier to go quietly rather than to go kicking and screaming. It was also an opportunity, to show the Chicago’s Bureau what kind of agent she was, and maybe a job offer would come her way and she could continue climbing the ladder as she dreamed of doing. 

“Does Hotch know?” She asked, and Strauss nodded.

“Once I got the request, I forwarded it to him. We spoke about it and agreed that it was in your best interests as an agent to go.” She confirmed.

“Nobody else knows on the team?” Lucy then re-iterated.

“Nobody. And they can’t either, that is vital. You’ll understand your cover when it is explained to you in Chicago.” Strauss explained sternly and Lucy nodded.

“What about my things at my desk?” Lucy glanced over at the window.

“I will escort you to your desk to collect your things, the team is now being pulled into a briefing with Agent Hotchner, therefore they shouldn’t see your departure.” She told Lucy, and she nodded once again.

“Any more questions before we proceed?” 

“None, Ma’am.” Lucy confirmed.

“Hand over your phone as well, the first thing the team is going to is try and contact you.” Lucy sighed sadly and complied with her request, handing her phone to her. She nodded in gratitude, turned the phone off and put it inside her desk.

Strauss then opened up her office blinds and opened her office door, ushering Lucy out the door. 

As they entered the bullpen, Lucy could feel eyes burning into the back of her skull as the team were clearly watching from the briefing room. They made haste at clearing Lucy’s things, packing it all away into her duffel bag under her desk. As Strauss turned away for a moment, Lucy pulled the photograph off her computer of her, Prentiss, JJ and Garcia on a shopping trip together. She quickly grabbed a pen and scribbled a note on the photograph and then sticking it on Prentiss’ desk. 

“Ready?” Strauss asked.

“Ready.” Lucy replied, slinging her duffel bag over her shoulder and then grabbing her work satchel and throwing that on her back. 

She glanced over at the team in the briefing room, watching them all stare at her as she began walking out of the bullpen. As she offered a small, heart-breaking smile, she turned her back on the BAU team for the time ahead and headed for the elevator, resisting the urge to turn back and breakdown.

They reached the bottom floor and walked out front, where a blacked-out SUV was waiting in front of the double doors of the building.

“This is it for now, good luck Agent Copeland. I hope to see you once this is over.” Strauss outstretched her hand and Lucy grasped it, shaking it firmly.

“Thank you, Ma’am.” Strauss nodded and let go, and watched Lucy climb into the SUV. With the windows blacked out, Strauss couldn’t see the tears flowing from her eyes. 

The car swerved out the parking lot and sped away, on their way to the airport. The drive was silent, Lucy sat in the back nervously, unsure of what to expect from this. How long would she be away for? Will she ever come back home? How dangerous is this assignment going to be?

Part of her hoped that it would take longer, but the other part wanted to be back in the briefing room with the team already, with Prentiss at her side.

God, she regretted not going on that shopping trip now, and she regretted not speaking up and not going on the bar trips. This team was her family, and now there was a possibility she wouldn’t even come home. But there was a bigger thing that she regretted more.

Not telling Emily Prentiss how she felt.

It was real, no matter how far she tried to bury it. Emily Prentiss had wormed her way into her heart and filled a void that had been created by Elle. But she wasn’t replacing Elle, she was everything and more. And now, there was a possibility she wouldn’t see her for a long time, and she wouldn’t know why until Lucy came back. If Lucy came back.

They pulled up outside the airport, and Lucy was escorted inside by the driver and walked to front desk to get checked in, but thankfully he didn’t attempt to make small talk with her and once she got checked in, he left her to it. 

Luckily her flight was boarding in 20 minutes, so she headed to one of the stationery stores in the airport and brought a new black ruled notebook and ball-point pen. She was going to try and write a journal, to keep her thoughts aligned and to keep herself focussed on the job at hand. Feeling a chill in the air as she left the store, she crouched down onto the floor, unzipped her duffel back and swapped out her suit jacket for a comfy grey sweatshirt.

As she queued to board her flight, a familiar scent filled her nostril. Emily’s scent. Tears formed in her eyes as she remembered that the last time this was worn was when they were on the jet back from Vegas and Emily was cold, so Lucy leant her the sweatshirt. Morgan teased her for it, but she didn’t care. Secretly, she LOVED the fact that Emily was wearing her clothes, and it meant she could dream happily about her a little more.

Emily scent was overwhelming, and it was comforting Lucy, almost as if she was wrapped up in her arms. She boarded her flight and sat down in window seat in business class, she let herself lean in the chair and let the scent consume her, letting her eyes close and her breathing even-out as she felt herself drift off as the flight began to take off.

After the briefing, the team all dashed outside the room and went straight the bullpen where Strauss was waiting for them all. She shared a knowing look with Hotch who raised an eyebrow at her, but once she nodded at him, it almost looked as if he relaxed slightly.

“Erin, what’s going on?” Rossi questioned, the team standing by him impatiently. 

“From today, Lucy Copeland is no longer a member of the Behaviour Analysis Unit. The decision was above me, therefore there was nothing I could do.” Strauss explained calmly. 

“Ma’am, I respect that but-…” Morgan tried to hide his frustration.

“There was nothing I could do. If I could, Copeland would be in that briefing room with you. Now, get back to work. You have cases to solve.” Strauss told them all sternly, sweeping out of the room and slamming her office door to full affect as she got there. Hotch followed her into the office, shutting the door calmly behind himself and then shutting the blinds.

“This is bullshit!” Morgan hissed out, slamming his fists on his desk as he stared over at Lucy’s empty one.

“Morgan, calm down.” JJ tried to comfort him but knew he was going to explode.

“Calm down? She didn’t do anything wrong, JJ. She’s good. She doesn’t deserve this.” Reid agreed with Morgan, throwing himself down into his desk chair and clenching his fists in anger.

“There’s got to be something we can do, right?” Garcia mumbled, tears already falling onto her cheeks.

“Unfortunately, when Erin makes her mind up about something, she sticks to it. No questions asked.” Rossi sighed, laying a hand on Garcia’s shoulder in attempt to comfort her.

“She did her job. She’s good at her job. Rossi none of this makes any sense.” Morgan explained to the older man and he nodded in agreement.

“We might not get along, but I respect her and whilst I’ve worked with her, I have not seen a single mistake on her part.” 

“This isn’t right, Rossi. Is there anything you can do?” JJ asked him and he shook his head.

“If Hotch can’t talk her out of it, I don’t think I could. I’ll try, but there is a slim chance it will work.” JJ nodded gratefully, and then glanced over to Prentiss, who had sat down at her desk, her face unreadable as she had the photograph in her hands. 

“Emily, are you alright?” Rossi whispered as he leaned on her desk. She glanced up, her eyes watery as she stared at the photograph, or rather the back of the photograph. Emily passed him the photo and pointed out the writing.

REMEMBER HOW MUCH I LOVE YOU ALL.

The word “LOVE” was underlined, almost like it had a special meaning to Prentiss. But the note was worrying.

“You think she’s going to disappear?” Rossi questioned; his tone worried. Prentiss nodded, her eyes glistening with unshed tears.

“I’ve tried calling her, but it goes straight to voicemail.” Morgan sighed angrily.

“We should go by her apartment, see if she’s there.” Reid suggested.

“If you do that now, Erin will fire you too. We’ve got to wait until today’s over, then we will all go head over there and try to find her.” Rossi stated his plan.

“You want to help, sir?” Garcia was surprised. He nodded, a sad smile on his face.

“Look, I won’t deny that we didn’t exactly get along. But I respected her as an Agent, and it’s clear how much you all care about her. So, yes, I want to help.” Morgan clasped a hand on Rossi’s shoulder, squeezing it slightly to show his thanks.

“Thank you, Rossi.” Prentiss mumbled and he nodded.

“We’ll find her. She can’t have gone far.” 

Lucy was shook away by the air-hostess, and she informed her that they had landed. Quickly, she gathered herself and jogged off the plane, following the other passengers. She got through security fast, and then got to baggage claim where she pulled her duffel bag onto her shoulder and went to arrivals. 

A man was waiting there, holding up a sign for COPELAND, and she went over to greet him.

“Agent Copeland?” The man asked in a hushed whisper. She nodded and he smiled briefly.

“I’m Agent Robson, I’ve also been assigned this case.” He held out his hand and Lucy shook it with a small smile of her own.

“Good to meet you. Where will I be briefed?” She asked, her voice barely above a whisper as the wandered on down through the busy airport.

“There’s a safe-house where you will be staying, alongside your partner in this investigation.” He replied. 

“Partner? You aren’t my partner?” She questioned, and he chuckled, shaking his head.

“No. I’m the technical expert. I’ll be helping with the investigation, but you will mainly be working with your partner on the case.” 

“Fair enough.” Lucy mumbled, and followed Agent Robson to the parking lot where his SUV was parked. Robson looked to be the same age as Lucy and was quite tall – 6ft 1 to be exact. He had a kind and gentle look on his face, which relaxed Lucy a little bit. Hopefully her partner was this nice.

As they got in the car, Lucy sat in the passenger seat next to him in the driver’s seat. As he shifted the car in gear and started to drive, he glanced over to Lucy and smiled.

“So, you’ve come from Virginia, right?” He asked, making small talk.

“Yeah but was born and raised in England.” She answered him warmly.

“What made you move over here then?” 

And so, Lucy explained her life story. As they drove for what seemed like forever, sharing small stories of their childhoods, they arrived outside a dingy apartment block in the outskirts of central Chicago.

“This is it. I’ll walk you up.” He offered kindly, and Lucy nodded gratefully at him. As they arrived into the apartment, the receptionist didn’t seem to bat an eyelid at them – too focussed on filing her nails down. They called down the elevator and it swiftly lifted them up to the 15th floor, where the corridors smelt damp and musty. 

Agent Robson took Lucy to an apartment door – 1405 and handed her the key.

“You aren’t coming in?” She asked and he shook his head.

“No. But I’m the floor below, apartment 1308. Come find me if you need anything, or if you just feel like you want to talk.” He smiled and they said their goodbyes.

Lucy inhaled deeply and pushed her key into the lock, turning it and opening the apartment. As she peered around the door, she noticed the interior was nowhere near as bad as the exterior of the apartment building. The whole layout of the place was modern, and they had state of the art appliances and electronics. Whatever this job was, it was high stakes.

Lucy crept into the apartment, shutting the door behind her quietly and took in her surroundings. She was at ease, until she noticed a shadow sitting on the couch.

“Hello?” She called out; her nerves high. The figure rose, and moved over to where Lucy was standing, their face uncovered from the shadows.

“Please don’t be mad at me.” The voice spoke, and Lucy immediately felt her heart drop a thousand feet.

“Elle?”


	7. reunited

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> lucy is shocked by who her partner is, and the team try to figure out where lucy has gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> STRONG LANGUAGE IN THIS CHAPTER! hope ya'll enjoy this<3 please leave comments if you enjoyed :)

“What. The. Fuck.” Lucy spat, all the emotions she’d been trying to push away for the months Elle had been gone. Her fists clenched alongside her jaw, but her eyes were staring almost softly at Elle, tears slowly threatening to rise in her eyes. Elle took a step forward to Lucy, but she backed away immediately, shaking her head.

“No. No, you don’t get to come anywhere near me. It’s been nearly a year, Elle.” Lucy’s voice was wavering and thick with tears.

“Luce, please…” She pleaded, reaching out to touch her but Lucy pulled her arm out of reach.

“Don’t touch me. You don’t get to do this, Elle. Not after everything that I went through… God! Why now?!” Lucy cried in anger, running her hands through her hair and turning away from Elle.

“Lucy, please. I know how this looks, okay? But I need you to calm down so I can explain it.” Elle’s voice turned to her stern, authoritative voice.

“How can I calm down?” Lucy sighed, her back hitting the door. She slid down the door to the floor and pulled her knees to her chest. Elle sighed sadly, moving near her but not completely next to her and sitting down on the floor.

“You left, Elle.” Her voice came across as a broken whisper, all of the anger drained, and the tears flowed down her cheeks. 

“I know.” 

“You left ME.”

“I know.” 

“How could you do that?” Lucy glanced up, her eyes meeting with Elle’s opposite her. Elle swallowed a lump in her throat.

“I was broken. I-I couldn’t cope, okay? I needed help, and I wasn’t getting that in Virginia. It wasn’t you, Lucy. It was never you.” She spoke softly, inching slightly closer to Lucy. Lucy sniffled, wiping her tears and nose with the sweatshirt she was wearing.

“I nearly left the BAU, did you know that?” Her hushed voice was so quiet, Elle nearly missed it. Solemnly, Elle nodded her head.

“When I called Strauss, asking you for the job I got quite the run down from what you went through… I never intended for that to happen; I swear it, Luce. I-… I just didn’t want to bring you down with me.” She tried to explain, but Lucy just scoffed, shaking her head.

“Elle, you knew I was in love with you. Leaving without any explanation would’ve hurt even if I wasn’t in love with you. You knew what you were doing, you just didn’t think about the consequences.”

Elle’s eyes widened at Lucy’s confession, almost as if she didn’t know. Lucy scoffed incredulously.

“Don’t act stupid. It was fucking obvious.” 

Elle stayed silent for a moment, then gazing up at Lucy, trying to meet her eyes.

“You were in love with me?” He voice was hushed, full of emotion. She rolled her eyes.

“You seriously didn’t kno-…” She was cut off.

“No… I knew, but you said you were in love with me. Past tense.” Elle mumbled. Lucy slammed her hands on the mahogany flooring and glanced up at Elle, her pupils enlarged in fury.

“Fuck you for saying that. I didn’t know where you were, or if you were even alive. How dare you ask me that? How dare you ask me to come all this way to say that?” She shouted, pushing herself off the floor and walked further into the apartment, getting away from Elle.

“I don’t know, okay? I don’t know why I left you. But I just couldn’t do it. I couldn’t look at your face every day anymore, all I would see is him and whenever I closed my eyes it all played over, like I was watching it on video. All I could see when I looked at you was the eyes of pity when you were sat at my bedside. I snapped, Lucy, okay! That’s the truth.” Elle shouted back, shoving herself up and fury consuming her too.

“What were you expecting from me? Just to come running back to you now you’re all patched up and okay again? You’re delusional, and I’m not doing this. Find yourself another partner because I don’t want to see you ever again. I’m done with you.” She spat venomously, trying to rush past Elle to grab her bag but was pulled backwards by Elle’s hand latching onto her wrist.

“You can’t walk away from the job, doesn’t matter how much you hate me, Copeland. You’re fucking stuck with me, so just sit down and let me explain the assignment and you can go and bitch to whoever you want to.” She yelled, pulling Lucy back into the apartment.

“I don’t have anyone to bitch to, because you’ve just taken them away by putting me into this job, that I didn’t even want!” She argued back.

“Just shut up! We’re stuck together, whether you like it or not. So just sit down, look through the files while I explain, and we can just go into our rooms and ignore each other.” Elle pulled Lucy down to the couch and pushed a file into her direction.

Lucy clenched her jaw, biting her tongue from a remark and took opened the file beside Elle. She just couldn’t help the murderous glare she sent her behind her back.

“We’re investigating a potential drug ring. There’s a boxing gym around 15 minutes away from this hotel, called ‘Box-This’. It’s a disgusting place, but underneath it in the basement is an illegal fighting ring. We have reason to suspect that the money from the fighting ring is going to a drug ring, run by Victor Gallo, who also owns the gym. This drug ring is potentially the biggest threat in Chicago, as they’ve been dealing to more and more people in the recent months. Hence why the need for the undercover investigation.” Elle went into detail, explaining every ounce of the assignment.

“What’s our cover?” Lucy asked, trying to push all feelings aside and focus on the case as she flicked through the pages of the file in her hands.

“We’re a new couple in Chicago, we don’t have a lot of money, so we head down to the gym and try to get in on the fighting ring to earn some. We earn their trust and infiltrate the drug ring; and when this happens, we’ll have an FBI and SWAT team to sweep the place, and our job would be done.” Elle responded, her voice monotone and stern, just like they were back at the BAU again. 

Lucy opened her mouth, but Elle waved her off, rolling her eyes at her.

“I don’t like the acting as a couple either, Copeland. But we don’t have a choice, this was the cover given and that’s the end of it.” It was Lucy’s turn to roll her eyes at Elle.

“Actually, I was going to ask how long they estimate this could take.” Elle blushed slightly with embarrassment, but Lucy didn’t notice as she managed to hide it.

“Oh... It’s a rough estimate of a few months. We’ll be getting privately trained by an instructor working with the FBI to make sure we’re up to the standards for the ring.” 

“When do we start training?” Lucy questioned.

“Tomorrow morning, 7am. You have your envelope with your new identify, and I will go get the phone and ID card that’s been provided to you.” Elle replied, leaving the couch and entering the bedroom nearest the kitchen.

Lucy stayed sat silently for a moment, it was a lot to process. But this investigation, it could take months. Away from the team, her family? She wasn’t sure she could handle it. And then the cover work with Elle! How was she going to work alongside her when they have so many issues? 

She leaned back and slouched into the couch, her head hitting the back of it and closing her eyes too to try and desensitise. Elle came out of her bedroom, but stopped at the sight of Lucy leaned back into the couch, visually in a lot of deliberation and maybe pain?

“I’m sorry. I don’t think I’ve said that yet.” Elle said, going into the lounge and sitting beside Lucy. Lucy opened one eye and glanced over at her.

“You’re wrong, it was actually the second thing you said when I came in.” Lucy replied smartly.

“Could you stop being a smart-ass for just one second and listen to me?” Elle groaned in frustration and Lucy shrugged, but stayed quiet. “Look, this isn’t going to be easy. And I know it’s completely my fault, and you’re right. I shouldn’t have expected you to accept me back into your life when you came here. But we’ve got to be professional, so you can hate my guts personally, but professionally we’ve got to make it work.” 

“I don’t hate your guts… I heavily dislike you right now, and I’m angry as hell. But, you’re right. The better we work together, we quicker we get done and -…”

“The quicker you get home to the team.” Elle finished her sentence, and Lucy looked up at her, nodding.

“Well, you might want to unpack whatever stuff you’ve brought with you, you’ve got more clothes in your room, first on the right when you came through the front door. Oh, and call Strauss – let her know you’re landed and got to the safe house okay. I’ll be in my room if you have any questions.” Elle said, handing over the phone and ID card, then getting up and walking over to her room.

“Elle.” Lucy stopped her, she turned slowly and stared at Lucy with a raised eyebrow.

“Thank you.” It was barely audible, but Elle heard. Her lips stayed tight, but there was a threat of a smile on her face. She nodded, then turned back and went into her room, the door shutting gently behind her.

Lucy rubbed her eyes gently and grunted in annoyance. This whole situation was going to be a nightmare, but working alongside Elle too? That was definitely going to surface feelings that she didn’t want again. And being away from the team, from Emily especially? 

She slowly got up from the couch, slung her duffel bag over her shoulder and begrudgingly carried herself to the first room on the right, where Elle had told her she’d be. She opened the door, peering in and was met with a pleasant surprise. The room was painted a very pale grey, with a plush dark grey carpet underneath her trainers. Inside her room was a king size bed with a white geometric pattern on the bedding, two white end tables next to the bed, a wardrobe and chest of draws, and then a small desk next to the large window. It was a gorgeous room, very different to what Lucy had pictured when she first walked into the hotel.

She made her way over to the chest of draws and found some clothing that had been put there for her. It was simple things, nothing out of the ordinary; designed to help her blend in during the operation, and then of course some workout gear for training and then for the fight ring. Lucy was trying not to imagine the amount of injuries she was going to endure during this op, she wasn’t great at hand-to-hand combat, in fact she was near enough terrible. Her shooting skills were top-notch, but when she had to fight without a weapon, she barely passed her tests.

Throwing her duffel bag onto her bed, she unzipped it and began unpacking. She didn’t have much inside, she just had a spare set of clothes for work which consisted of a pair of black skin-tight jeans and a stainless white t-shirt, and a pair of black heeled boots. She also had a spare set of comfy clothes which was a pair of grey sweatpants, a black vest top and the sweatshirt she was currently completed the look. 

Lucy packed away her clothes into the empty spaces in her chest of drawers, and then laid down on the bed, staring at the ID card in her palms. They’d used her photo from her FBI key card for it and given her the name Josie Summers. Weird name, and it came across quite cheery which was the opposite to how Lucy was feeling right now. The phone given to her was just as the same as the one she had back at the BAU, so there wasn’t going to be any confusion on how to use it, and it had already been set up. There were only a few contacts in the phone, Erin Strauss, Alexander Robson and then Megan Evans, who must’ve been Elle’s undercover name.

She pressed on Strauss’ number and called it, holding the phone close to her ear and letting a sigh out as she waited for her to answer.

“Strauss.” A voice came through the other end.

“I’ve landed.” Lucy replied shortly.

“You met the other two agents involved?” She asked.

“Unfortunately.” She answered bluntly and she could’ve sworn she heard a chuckle on the other end.

“Yes, I figured there could be some trouble with the partnership.” 

“Why’d you let me do this?” Lucy questioned and she heard a sigh.

“Because you’re one of my best agents, and you deserve a chance to prove yourself to other parts of the bureau. And you’ll be highly praised and recognised once this operation is finished. Which-…”

“Will look good for me, just as well as it’ll look good for you. How’d the team take the news?” Lucy interrupted, her tone dripping in annoyance and not caring that Strauss was her boss. She had every right to be annoyed in this situation.

“Yes. I won’t lie to you, but if you ever want to leave the BAU in the future, it would give you options to go elsewhere. And not well, but it was to be expected.” She replied, clearly choosing to ignore Lucy’s tone. As Lucy went to reply, she heard a knock at her door and then what seemed like Rossi’s voice from outside of it.

“I’ve got to go. I’ll call you for an update in a few weeks, you mustn’t contact me.” Strauss warned.

“Yes, Ma’am.” Lucy replied, ending the call. 

“Agent Rossi, what can I do for you?” Strauss eyed him suspiciously as he entered her office, sitting down in the chair opposite her.

“I’m looking for answers, Erin. Copeland didn’t do anything wrong, at least not in our eyes. She works damn hard.” Rossi stated harshly.

“Rossi, it is out of my hands as I have already told you already, if you’ve come here to argue then you’re wasting yours and my time.” She replied, as equally harsh and stern.

“That’s bullshit, Erin. We all know something else is going on.” He argued.

“I cannot reveal anything else that what I’ve told you, it’s confidential. Now, please leave my office, I have things I must do.” She disengaged from the argument and opened a file on her desk.

“That kid’s good, Erin. We might not have got along but she was damn good at her job. We’re going to look for her, and so help me if we can’t find her, you won’t have much of a team to cooperate with.” He spat, getting up from his chair in fury.

“Please shut the door on the way out.” Strauss spoke, her voice slightly smug which drove Rossi mad. He slammed the door behind him and the whole bullpen looked up at him.

“Nothing?” Prentiss sighed sadly from her desk as Rossi stormed into the bullpen.

“She won’t say anything, only thing I got out of her was that it was confidential.” He ranted angrily.

“So, whatever’s happened, it’s bad.” Morgan put his head into his hands and groaned in frustration.

“I tracked her phone, and her last location that I could track was when she was here in the bullpen. All her social medias haven’t been updated.” Garcia reported sadly from behind Morgan.

“What do we do now? We just wait for her to appear?” Reid said angrily.

“There isn’t anything we can do now. We’ll go to her apartment tonight and see if we can sniff anything out.” Rossi sadly agreed. 

“And if she isn’t there?” Prentiss mentioned, her voice hushed. Rossi glanced over at her, his eyes soft with sympathy.

“Then we’ll do everything we can to find her.” He replied, pressing a hand on her shoulder and squeezing gently.

“This isn’t right, Rossi. She wouldn’t just up and leave. We know her, something else is going on.” JJ stated as she came into the bullpen.

“And we’ll find out what that is.” He reassured her.

“What we if we don’t find out? What if she disappears, just like Gideon?” Reid says in a small voice from behind his desk.

“She wouldn’t do it, Reid. Not without a reason.” Prentiss pushed aside that theory.

“What if Elle came back?” Garcia piped up, her voice small and uncertain. The bullpen fell quiet for a moment, and Prentiss struggled to hide her disappointment at the thought.

“She was in love with her, it would make sense.” JJ agreed. Prentiss winced behind her hands that covered her face and held onto her harsh exterior.

“Elle coming back… It could have been the reason she left, but not the reason Strauss fired her.” Reid shook his head in disagreement.

“Hotch knows more than he’s letting on.” Morgan pointed out. Rossi nodded his head in agreement.

“I really hope she didn’t go back to Elle.” Reid mumbled.

“Why?” Prentiss questioned from her desk, removing her hands from her face. Reid sighed and ran his fingers through his growing hair.

“She-… She used her. And because of Elle, Lucy broke down. If she goes back to Elle, she’d be letting herself get hurt again and for what? Nothing.” 

“I agree with Spence. I liked Elle, but she destroyed Lucy.” JJ agreed, leaning slightly into Reid on his desk.

“After she got shot, she changed. Anyone would.” Morgan tried to defend her but was caught by a furious look from Garcia.

“Come on, Morgan. She completely broke Lucy, stripped her of every piece of herself that she had. And she stayed alone for months, wouldn’t reach out. If that happens again and we’re not there… I don’t even want to think about it.” Garcia shivered.

“Look. We all crack down on these case files, and as soon as we’re done, we go straight to her apartment and try and find her. She couldn’t have gone far.” Rossi stated the plan, which the team nodded in agreement and dispersed to finish their case files. As he slowly walked past Prentiss, he squeezed her shoulder gently in a paternal way. Prentiss smiled sadly up at him, and then buried her head in her case files, trying to ignore the way the note on the photograph was written.

Lucy changed into her set of comfy clothes – grey skinny joggers, black vest top and her sweatshirt that still smelt like Emily’s perfume and then a pair of white trainer socks. She tried to make herself comfortable, lying on top of the bed and stretching out every now and then, but she couldn’t turn her brain off.

Everything had changed in the space of a couple of hours, and now she was in a dangerous operation with no end in sight for at least six months. 

She groaned loudly and shifted herself on the bed, curling up on her right side. She stared at the phone she’d been given, wishing she remembered Emily’s phone number so she could call just to hear her voice and explain what was going on, and that she wasn’t ignoring her. Lucy knew the relationship between them had been strained since the near kiss, but she didn’t want that to be the final thing she thought about and how awkward they’d been around each other since then.

“I’m stupid. It’s literally been a few hours; I can’t miss her already.” She snorted to herself, trying to shake the sinking feeling in her stomach.

She laid still for a few minutes, but her brain continued to bring her to that moment where she almost tasted Emily’s lips, and it refused to shut off.

“Fuck!” She shouted, throwing herself off her bed and pacing around her room. She didn’t realise how loud she was until she heard a rather timid knock at the door, and the door opening ever so slightly.

“You good, Copeland?” Elle asked from behind the door. Lucy stayed silent, choosing not to answer was a clear enough answer to Elle as she came into her room and gently sat on the end of Lucy’s bed.

“Look. I know we’re not friends anymore, but you’re angry and hurting. So, talk to me as if we were friends again.” Lucy snorted and shook her head.

“I appreciate the offer, but there’s no way I can talk to you about this.” Elle’s eyes snapped up to Lucy’s, confusion hitting her first and then understanding.

“Who is she?... Or he, you know, I don’t judge.” Elle said awkwardly. Lucy raised an eyebrow at her.

“You seriously want to talk about this?” 

“No. But you need to get it off your chest before you explode into this ugly ball of whatever.” Elle replied with a knowing smirk on her face. Lucy rolled her eyes, a small hint of a smile on her face.

“Sit down. Tell me.” She urged. Lucy shifted uncomfortably, choosing to sit in the desk chair rather than on the bed next to Elle.

“H-… Her name is Emily.” She started and Elle nodded, a soft smile on her face urging her to continue talking.

“I met her when I came back to the BAU.” 

“Is she on the team too?” She questioned quietly and Lucy nodded shyly, suddenly aware how much this could hurt Elle.

“Wow, Copeland. You do have a track record.” She joked.

“Fuck off, Greenaway.” Lucy laughed a small amount and noticed that Elle had laughed too.

“Anyway, we clicked and became good friends. And then a few weeks ago, we er-… We nearly kissed.” She admitted and Elle’s eyes widened.

“How close?” 

“Like if my door hadn’t knocked, we would’ve full-on made out on my couch.” 

“Wow… she hot?” Lucy snorted and Elle waved her hands in the air to defend herself.

“It’s a valid question! I mean, she’s gotta be hot for your standards.” Lucy rolled her eyes and nodded.

“Well in my expert fake friend opinion… If she likes you, she’ll wait for you when you get back from the op.” Elle advised.

“And if she doesn’t?” Lucy’s voice suddenly got small and Elle glanced over, a sympathetic look on her face.

“Then she isn’t worth getting upset about.” 

The room stayed in a heavy silence after that. For the first time, both of them had had a civil conversation other than talking about the op, which didn’t really count. 

“I missed this.” Elle broke the silence.

“Missed what?” Lucy replied, acting dumb but knowing the obvious answer.  
“Us, not romantically but us being best friends and talking about stuff like that, I missed it.” She answered truthfully.

“I missed it too. It wasn’t the fact that we weren’t in a relationship that I missed, it was the fact that I didn’t have my best friend around anymore that hurt the most, and I didn’t have a clue where you were.” Lucy admitted.

“I fucked up; I know. I’m always going to regret leaving the way I did, but I did it for the right reasons. I couldn’t drag you down with me. I loved you too much to do that.” Elle said, her voice sombre.

“I know you did it for the right reasons, Elle. That’s why it hurt so much, because I knew deep down that if you just disappeared the way you did, it would’ve been over something serious and important. You did the right thing; I just wish it didn’t screw us up the way it did.” 

“I’m sorry. You deserved better than that, and I know I can’t change what happened or ask for a second chance. All I ask for is that we move forward and try and work together.” Elle apologised and Lucy nodded.

“I think I can manage that. But you need to know, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to forgive you for what you did. But I’ll try and move forward.” She agreed.

“That’s all I ask.” 

“We’ll see.” 

“Good.”

“Good.” 

The room went silent again, both of them processing what had been said between the two of them.

“You hungry?” Elle suddenly piped up. Lucy thought for a moment and then nodded.

“I could eat.”

“There’s a pizza place that delivers, and they hooked Netflix up to the TV.” She pointed out, a smile on her face.

“You’re buying.” Lucy reminded her, jumping up from the desk chair and leaving the bedroom, Elle following her with a fond smile on her face.

“Her apartment’s spotless. She didn’t come home.” Emily groaned as she sat on Lucy’s couch, Rossi coming and sitting beside her.

“I figured that one out as we left the Bureau. Her SUV was still parked, which means she was picked up and taken elsewhere.” Rossi agreed.

“Just spoke to her landlord, rent has been payed for, for the next six months.” Morgan popped his head out from outside the lounge.

“Six months? Wherever she’s gone, she isn’t planning on coming back soon.” Prentiss sighed sadly.

“He also said she didn’t pay it. Some government official came and payed it this morning, after Lucy had left for work.” He reported it.

“Government official? This doesn’t make any sense.” Prentiss hid her face in her hands.

“Morgan, give us a moment.” Rossi whispered to him, who nodded and left the room, closing the door behind him.

“I think we should drop the search.” Rossi said to Prentiss, who lifted her head up and stared at him in shock.

“No, we can’t-…” She started.

“I think she’s undercover.” He interrupted. Emily thought about it for a moment – the firing, the disappearing act, her rent paid… It made sense.

“If she’s undercover, it wouldn’t have been her choice.” Emily pointed out.

“No, I don’t think she even knew about it until she came into work – her bed was unmade, laundry not done, and dishes left to be washed – all signs that show that she was planning on coming back.” Rossi agreed.

“So, what do we do now?” She questioned.

“Sadly, nothing. We wait for the operation to be over, but don’t let on to Strauss and Aaron that we know.” He stated. Emily nodded sadly, leaning back into the couch and gently inhaling the scent of Lucy from the couch cushions.

“You liked her, more than friends.” Rossi stated again, his eyes glancing softly. Emily went to deny, but as she took in the way Rossi was looking at her, and the fact that he’s an incredibly skilled profiler, she knew there was no way out of this one.

“Yes.” She admitted.

“Did she know?” 

“I don’t know. We almost kissed, a few weeks ago, but I don’t know if that was a heat in the moment thing or if she actually liked me too.” Emily told him truthfully.

“Why didn’t you?” He questioned.

“The team showed up, it had been a tough case and they wanted to check up on her… I almost wish they hadn’t showed up.” Rossi snorted, a fond smile on his face.

“Do we tell the others what we’ve figured out?” She asked and he shook his head.

“No. Best to keep it to ourselves. Less suspicion from Erin and Aaron that way.” He noted and she nodded.

“Come on, let’s go. And Prentiss, you tell her how you feel when you get back.” He said, and she looked up at him sadly.

“What if she doesn’t come back?” Her voice was heavy with worry.

“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it, come on.” He urged her to leave, and she nodded, pulling herself up and following him out of the room, filling her nostrils with Lucy’s scent for one of the final times.


	8. physical

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> lucy and elle begin their training, whilst hotch battles with telling the team about where lucy really is.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it's been a while! sorry for taking time, i wasn't sure where i wanted to take this but i finally got an idea and i know where to run with it! hope you all enjoy this, please leave comments :)

“Come on, Copeland. You can do better than that!” Elle taunted at her as they sparred on top of some gym mats. Lucy wore a determined face, and swung at Elle’s face, but she was too slow, and Elle easily caught her movements and sent her flying backwards.

“Too easy. Just too easy.” She grinned triumphantly.

“Shut up, Greenaway.” Lucy growled back at her, and tried to kick her above her waist, but once again Elle reversed the move and set her tumbling down onto the floor.

“Didn’t realise the FBI hired such terrible agents, thought hand-to-hand was in the conditions.” The instructor laughed, leaning against the pillar next to the gym mats they were sparring on.

“You’re kidding?” Elle snorted, hovering above Lucy “You’ve seen the BAU right? They’ve got a genius on there who can barely shoot, and I dread to think what this new agent is like.” 

Lucy gritted her teeth and kicked out at Elle’s body, and for once caught her off-guard and sent her to the floor, clutching at her side.

“You can taunt me all you want, but don’t you dare speak a word about Reid or Prentiss… Or any of them for that matter. We clear?” Lucy spat as she pulled herself up off the floor.

“Jeez, Copeland. Was only trying to get you worked up, so you’d land a hit. I didn’t mean it.” Elle wheezed as she climbed back up.

“Good shot, Agent Copeland. Use that aggression to your advantage. Both of you take five, I’ll re-teach you the basics afterwards and maybe hit something more advanced if we have time.” The instructor explained, offering them both a smile and jogged off.

Lucy cracked her neck and then wandered over to her gym bag, grabbing a bottle of water and then chugged down its contents. She glanced over at the clock, 8am – it had been an hour since they started training and she was already sweating buckets. 

She grabbed the fluffy white towel inside her gym back and wiped away the sweat beads on her forehead and arms, and then left it hanging over her right shoulder. It had been a month since they started training, and so far, she felt like she’d got nowhere. She was useless at boxing.

“You’re getting better.” Elle complimented, taking a seat next to where she stood on the floor.

“Don’t lie.” Lucy grunted out, sitting down crossed-legged next to her.

“I’m not. Last week you wouldn’t have landed that hit on me the way you did.” She encouraged and Lucy rolled her eyes.

“You were distracted. Anyone blind could’ve made that.” 

“I WAS distracted, but that’s the best opportunity to take. You’re picking things up, slowly yeah, but you’re getting there. Stop beating yourself up, this shit takes time.” She hit the back of Lucy’s shoulder harshly, but in a friendly way. 

She shook her head, reaching back into her gym bag and grabbing a protein bar that she’d packed.

“Hey, I’m sorry about the comment earlier. I didn’t mean to offend; I was just trying to-…”

“Rile me up, I know. It worked at least.” Lucy cut her off, unwrapping the bar and taking a big bite out of it.

“Still, I’m sorry. I won’t mention them in the future.” She offered a sympathetic smile and Lucy nodded, swallowing the bite.

“Thanks. I appreciate it.” 

“No worries, buddy.” Elle teased and Lucy frowned at her in annoyance.

“I will vomit on you, if you call me buddy.” Lucy stated dead-pan and Elle laughed loudly.

“Alright, I won’t call you buddy – is chum allowed? Oooh, what about pal? Pal’s a good one.” She continued on and Lucy groaned, only egging Elle on more.

“Please stop.” 

“I could keep going all day, Copeland.” She grinned.

“Please, for the love of God, don’t.” Lucy pleaded with her.

“You’re no fun.” 

“You’ve told me multiple times in the last week.” Elle laughed again, shoving Lucy lightly and earning a small smile from her.

“Alright you two! Quit bickering and time to get back to training!” The instructor yelled from across the gym.

“I can’t think of anything worse.” Lucy groaned again and Elle snorted.

“What if we teamed up and took him out? Would save our joints a lot of pain later on tonight.” She suggested and Lucy laughed as she pushed herself up onto her feet.

“Somehow I feel like he’d be able to beat the shit out of both of us.” 

“Was worth a try.” Elle smirked, getting up and following Lucy to gym mats.

“Latest report from the drug cartel operation?” Hotch questioned Strauss as he sat opposite her desk, filling out paperwork from their latest case.

“From what the instructor has told Robson, the two bicker and Copeland is still slow. It could be months before they even infiltrate.” Strauss reported, her eyes not leaving the file on her desk in front of her.

“Then pull her from the operation.” Hotch suggested. Strauss sighed in frustration, closing the file shut and staring up at Hotch.

“Just because she’s slow, doesn’t mean that they won’t infiltrate. These things take time, no matter which agents we send in to do it.” She explained, like she had done a thousand times.

“Ma’am, with all due respect – Copeland was never any good at hand-to-hand, whereas Greenaway was. Surely it would be much easier if they sent another agent in with more experience so this operation could be running now?” He tried to broach the situation carefully. 

“Aaron, this operation has nothing to do with me. I didn’t have a choice. And it is also none of your concern.” She defended, her tone stressed and low. 

“None of my concern? You sent in my agent to an operation that I barely had knowledge of and told her that we’d spoken about it in length when we’d had one conversation about it.” He argued back, his tone also low to avoid the suspicion of the other agents in the bullpen.

“Agent Hotchner, I suggest you drop this conversation.” Her voice was so low that it was just above a hiss from a snake.

“My team is falling apart. You owe them an explanation, otherwise there isn’t going to be a team soon enough.” His voice matched hers, as he shut the file and stared at her, jaw tight in anger.

As Strauss went to open her mouth and fire back, but a polite knock on the door left their conversation forgotten.

“Sorry to interrupt, ma’am. Hotch, we have a case.” JJ spoke, peeking from the door. Strauss nodded at both JJ and then at Hotch, signalling him to leave. JJ disappeared from the door as quickly as she came. 

As Hotch got up off the chair and went to follow JJ, Strauss spoke up.

“It is in her best interests, Aaron. She’ll get there, but it will take time.” Hotch shook his head and took a deep breath in, then left the office – choosing to say nothing to her.

As Hotch stormed into the briefing room and took a seat beside Rossi, he noticed his older friend staring intently at him. Hotch didn’t say anything and leaned back into his seat, opening the file that JJ had dropped in his place whilst he was with Strauss.

“What’s up with you?” Rossi whispered as he leaned over to Hotch.

“Everything’s fine, Dave.” Hotch replied bluntly.

“Is Jack okay?” Rossi then questioned.

“Jack’s fine, just too much paperwork.” He replied again, masking his lie.

“Aaron…” Rossi started, trying to pry into his feelings but Hotch waved him off, turning his attention to the file at hand and JJ’s voice as she started off about the case.

“We’ll finish this conversation later.” Rossi whispered to him coldly, opening the file in front of him and then sparing a glance across to Prentiss, Morgan and Reid, who all looked as equally as miserable.

“Two bodies found in LA. Both middle aged males, and numbers carved on the skin. It appears that they’ve also had all their head shaved off.” JJ reported, flicking her own file open.

“Post or pre-mortem?” Reid questioned as he scanned the file carefully.

“Post. Which means our unsub has taken to some sort of ritual after killing.” Rossi answered, picking up one of the pictures in his hand and staring intently at it.

“ME report says they were strangled – and with the amount of bruising on the neck it looks like the unsub did it by hand.” Prentiss noticed.

“It’s a show of dominance. The unsub is getting off by demonstrating their power.” Hotch agreed.

“Look at where the bodies were dumped too, both heavy traffic areas in LA during the day. The unsub wants them to be found, to be appreciated.” Morgan pushed the pictures into the middle for the team to see.

“What could the numbers mean?” JJ questioned, looking at the pictures herself.

“In Nazi Germany, when they took the Jewish to the concentration camps, they’d brand them with a set of numbers to identify them and cut their hair off too – essentially stripping them of every bit of personal identity they had left.” Reid explained.

“So, you think this is work of a Nazi?” Morgan questioned Reid, who merely shrugged.

“Not necessarily. There are definitely similarities, but neither of the victims were Jewish – which defeats the objective Hitler had at the time.” 

“But he’s following the process, stripping them of every identity they have, cutting and shaving their hair, branding them. It all fits.” Prentiss disagreed.

“Except from the actual cause of death, strangulation rather than gas inhalation. The similarities are minor, whereas the differences are too big.” Rossi agreed with Reid.

“We’ll discuss more theories on the plane, wheels up in 30.” Hotch announced and took a very sharp exit from the briefing room, Rossi very quickly behind him and following him into his office, shutting the door and closing the blinds.

“Aaron. I know something’s wrong, talk to me.” Rossi sighed in annoyance, leaning on Hotch’s desk.

“Nothing is wrong, Dave. Everything is fine.” Hotch replied, reaching down under his desk and grabbing his go-bag.

“I’ve been doing this a lot longer than you, what’s going on? Is it about Copeland?” Rossi questioned him.

“I can’t talk to you about that, Dave. You know that.” 

“Don’t talk to me about it then, just leave the file lying around for me to ‘accidentally’ find it.” Rossi smirked and Hotch shook his head.

“I could get fired if I tell you-….” 

“Leave Erin to me. What the hell is going on with Copeland?” Rossi questioned again, sitting down in the chair opposite Hotch’s desk.

“She’s on a drug cartel operation, with Elle Greenaway.” Hotch explained and Rossi’s eyes widened.

“Yes, the same agent who worked at the BAU with her. Strauss came to me saying that she was putting Copeland on an undercover assignment but didn’t explain it fully, so when she was sent away from the BAU and I got the file and letter from Strauss explaining where Lucy would be and how long she’d be gone I was just as confused and angry as you were.” Hotch answered Rossi’s question before he even asked it.

“But you stood up for Strauss?”

“I had to, Dave. I didn’t have a choice. I’ve tried to convince Strauss to pull her from the op, but she won’t.” 

“Where is she?”

Hotch stopped for a moment, rubbing his forehead with his fingers.

“Chicago.” 

“And Prentiss and the rest of the team can’t know because?” Rossi asked again and for once, Hotch couldn’t give an answer, so he stayed quiet. Rossi sighed deeply, crossing his arms and furrowed his brows in confusion.

“The team is falling apart without her, Aaron. They think she’s just abandoned them; Garcia even called her family yesterday and they haven’t heard from her either.” Rossi stated sadly.

“I know. Trust me, I wish there was something I could do, but there isn’t. The team can’t know… You shouldn’t even know.” Hotch sighed.

“I won’t say anything to them, but sooner than later they’re going to start asking questions. Prentiss already has a theory, and it won’t take long for her to start sniffing around.” He said, and Hotch’s eyebrow raised.

“What does Emily think?”

“We went to Copeland’s apartment when she first left and found that most of her stuff had been left untouched, and a government official had paid her rent for the next six months. We both figured out something wasn’t right and guessed she was undercover, but now I know we’re right, it isn’t going to take long for her to figure out the same.” He replied, explaining about the night they found Copeland’s apartment in the same state that she’d left it in the morning.

Hotch nodded, opting to stay silent and listen to his friend’s advice.

“I trust your judgement, and if you think this is right for her then fine. But there is a team of profilers out there who can sniff out blood. It won’t take long before they all are suspicious. More suspicious than they are already.” He advised, getting up and squeezing Hotch’s shoulder in comfort, then leaving and heading to his own office to gather his things.

At Hotch thought for a moment in his office, he re-opened his blinds and noticed Prentiss at her desk grabbing her duffel bag and then stopping at her computer – staring a photograph. He watched her sigh sadly, swing the bag over her shoulder and then follow Morgan who had already swiftly walked past her.

He knew he had to tell the team, but he wasn’t sure how to bring it up and explain when he didn’t know what was going on himself.

After Elle and Lucy had showered, they made their way down to Robson’s “apartment” which was actually a set-up briefing room for the three of them. Robson slept there of course, but it was nowhere near as plush as Elle’s and Lucy’s apartment that they shared for the time being.

“So, what do you think it is this time?” Lucy questioned, leaning against the mint green wall next to Robson’s front door, arms crossed as if she were in trouble at school.

“Not sure. Just a de-brief of progress with the research I imagine.” Elle replied, knocking gently on the door. Lucy nodded silently, waiting for the door to open.

After a short time, Robson finally opened the door. He was dressed smartly – charcoal grey suit pants and a blazer, with a crisp white shirt on underneath buttoned tightly up to his neck and Chelsea boots on his feet. 

“Woah, if I’d know this was a posh meeting I would’ve dressed up.” Elle snorted, gesturing towards her outfit of sweatpants and a black vest.

“I’ve just come back from a meeting with the Bureau about this operation. Come in, I’ll explain.” He replied, rolling his eyes at Elle’s comment with a light smile on his face. Both Elle and Lucy followed Robson into his apartment and shut the door behind them, locking the door securely.

They all went into the “lounge” and sat at the small circular table with the files on top of their places.

“New information?” Elle questioned; her eyebrow raised in suspicion as she flicked through the file.

“No. This is all the information you need to know as they’re dropping you in next month.” Robson announced. Lucy slammed the file shut in front of her and stared up at him, her eyes wide in shock.

“There’s no way I’m ready for this, Robson. It’s already been a month and I can barely land a hit on Greenaway – let alone a professional!” She claimed.

“I agree. You’re putting us both at risk by dropping us in early, she’s not ready.” Elle hissed angrily, shutting the file and pushing it towards Robson.

“It’s out of my hands, the Bureau decides. Once you begin making contact with them, our contact will be cut off as much as possible – which will include me moving out of this apartment and both of you moving out of yours. There is a chance that you’ll be having members of the ring back to the apartment, and they won’t believe the story if you’re both staying in separate bedrooms.” He explains as calmly as possible.

“This is bullshit – we aren’t ready!” Elle shouted.

“Agent Greenaway calm down. I’ve explained that it is out of my hands. The Bureau has decided that they will handling this case with more force. They believe that the month of training you have been given will suffice. For the rest of this month, you’ll endure more training to make sure you’re in top physical condition. You both will also receive a haircut and you will both be asked to dye your hair, so your appearance is less recognisable.” He stated sternly.

“Why would our appearance need to change? Nobody knows we’re FBI.” Lucy asked, as politely as she could.

“I’ve been told that there is a risk that there will be ex-criminals that either you or Agent Greenaway may have dealt with in the past in the ring – therefore even with your ex-FBI cover, we need to change your appearance so that you come across more rebellious to the Bureau.” He explained once again, then flipping open a file and showing them both the information.

“What’s next? Get a tattoo?” Elle snorted in annoyance.

“I know you’re joking, but that might also work. Of course, it’s up to you as it’s be on your body permanently, but the haircut and dye will not be optional.” Robson responded dryly, his eyes rolling once again.

“So, in regards for the next month, how long are we training?” Lucy continued to ignore Elle’s try at humour and try and focus on the operation ahead.

“All day. You will have gym sessions to assess your stamina with cardio, but also, you’ll do as much weight training as cardio sessions. You’ll continue your training with combat, but it’ll be more intense. You will have a controlled diet and must stick to it. The Bureau sees this as the only option to get you both in there in the best physical condition.” He seemed to have a small amount of sympathy in his voice as he told them of the conditions.

“This is going to fucking suck for us, isn’t it?” Elle sighed sadly, leaning against the table with her head in her hands.

“Yes. It’s going to be brutal, and you’re both going to be miserable throughout this whole month – but the end result will be the best for this operation. And both of you as well.” He agreed.

“So, where do we begin with the research?” Lucy sighed, opening her file up again and settling into the chair at the table with Elle copying her movements.

The most gruelling month went on for both Elle and Lucy. They were training every single day, having the occasional rest day where they could pause and tend to any aching muscles. Lucy had stopped her contact with Strauss, letting Robson fill her in was a lot easier than talking to her over the phone, the anger she’d held about being pushed into the op had risen significantly whilst she was in harder training regime. 

She’d gotten a lot better in the month, her combat skills were shaping up to be as good as Elle’s, she’d slimmed down a lot of the leftover fat she had and turned it to muscle and overall was a lot fitter than when she even joined the FBI. Her long brown hair had been cut to just above her shoulders in a bob shape, and they’d chosen to colour it auburn. 

Elle had also got a lot fitter too, and her combat skills were second to none – she was faster, stronger and quicker than she had ever been. They’d cut her hair to the same length to when she left the BAU and coloured hers black. Overall, she didn’t look too different other than slightly more built up and the different hair – the bigger difference definitely went to Lucy. She barely looked like the agent she was at the BAU.

Lucy had even gone the extra mile and got tattoos. Granted, she’d wanted to get a few done since she was younger but never did, so saw this as a perfect opportunity to do so. Firstly, she’d gotten three small dragons leading from her right hand by her knuckles, to the start of her wrist, she then gotten the face of a lion with sunflowers surrounding it on the top of her right shoulder and lastly had gotten snake on her right forearm as well. It worked well, and it completely hid who she was before. It was unbelievable how much that she’d changed in the past month.

The relationship between herself and Elle had gotten better, they would never get back to the way they were, but being friends again was a good start; it was more the fact that they were so tired from the physical training that they didn’t have the energy to argue, but it was going into the right direction. Neither of them was entirely comfortable to go undercover as a couple, but their relationship was at a stage where it wouldn’t feel completely uncomfortable doing it, whereas at the start it would’ve done.

Of course, the only moral issue Lucy had was Emily. The two months without seeing her hadn’t been great, and she missed her a good amount, but she kept wondering if Emily even missed her back. She’d distanced herself from the team to a big extent when Rossi joined, so she wouldn’t be surprised if Emily hadn’t taken notice in Lucy being gone. She knew it wasn’t true, and of course Emily would’ve noticed that she wasn’t there, but she wasn’t sure if it was in the romantic way Lucy felt, or in the platonic way.

Meanwhile, the BAU had definitely noticed Lucy’s disappearance. Whilst yes, they were still solving cases at a quick rate, something about them just didn’t stick now that she was gone. Prentiss had sort of hollowed since she had gone, she was still meeting with the team outside of work and going out for drinks, but without Lucy near her it felt like she was putting up a front. She found herself spending more time with Reid too, both of them missing their friend equally and it put their mind off of the fact that she’d not contacted either of them. 

Garcia had tried contacting Lucy a thousand times over, leaving dozens of messages and trying to find a trail to lead her to her location, but of course, there was nothing. She’d contacted her family, but they hadn’t heard anything from here either, but to them that was normal; Lucy sometimes would go radio silent for couple of months and then call out of the blue, so they weren’t too worried about her. But it didn’t stop her trying desperately to find her.

It was a bleak Monday afternoon, Lucy and Elle had changed into their gym clothes – for Lucy it was a black workout tank top that showed her tattoos and a pair of grey leggings and for Elle it was the same, but her tank was green and her leggings were black. Both of them carried a sports bag each, with a bottle of water, wrapping tape, powder and a towel inside. Today was the day they would finally make contact in the gym and set up their personas. 

Lucy wasn’t Lucy anymore; she was Josie Summers. And Elle was Megan Evans, and they were both in-love and new to Chicago. They’d met when they both worked for the FBI, but when they were both fired for different reasons – Megan was told she was too violent, and Josie was taking bribes; giving them both reasons to hate the cops and federal agents. They’re both looking to blow off some steam at their local gym, and it will go from there.

Neither of them is allowed to contact Robson, Strauss or anyone else regarding the operation; with it being such a high-profile case, it’s safer for them to be on their own. And if they get caught, the FBI will not claim them or bail them out, which added more to the risk of the mission. Whilst on the mission, Robson can only contact them once a fortnight and arrange to meet in a busy place to make sure it doesn’t look suspicious and they’ll deliver an update then. But other than that, they’re alone in this.

As they both walked to the gym, Lucy noticed her breathing increasing as her nerves kicked in. Elle glanced over, and watched Lucy’s chest quickly rising and falling, so she leant over and placed her hand on top of Lucy’s, squeezing gently. Lucy’s eyes flashed up for a moment and smiled, noticing her breathing starting to even out.

“Ready for this? Once we’re in there, we can’t go out.” Elle asked, her tone empathetic and patient.

“No. But we need to do this, and the sooner we get in there, the sooner this whole thing can be over.” Lucy replied, her voice higher with anxiety.

“We’ve got this, okay? I won’t let anything bad happen to you in there. You know that, right?” Elle grabbed Lucy’s hand again and squeezed.

Lucy swallowed nervously and nodded, “I know, I trust you, Greenaway. Let’s do this.” Elle smiled, entwining her fingers with Lucy’s and they both walked into the gym, hand in hand.

Once they’d walked in, they both received a locker key each to keep their bag in and they went off to the rings to train. Already, they had caught the attention of a few of the people inside, but they were certain that was because they’d not seen women train together before, let alone a lesbian couple.

“Want me to wrap you up, babe?” Elle smiled sweetly up at Lucy, who just rolled her eyes at her with a fond smile and nodded at her. Lucy had coated her hands in powder and Elle was deliberately slow with wrapping up her hands, and then once she was done, she pressed a small kiss to her cheek.

They then swapped positions, and Lucy wrapped up Elle’s hands in the same way and then pressed a kiss to her head as she stood up and got into the ring. They both stood a couple feet apart from each other, in their first position ready to spar.

“Don’t suppose either of you lovely ladies need a sparring partner each, do ya?” A man purred from the side of the ring, a smirk upon his lips with his friend beside him. Lucy recognised him immediately – Jake Rizzo, one of Victor Gallo’s right-hand men.

“Depends, who’re you offering?” Lucy retorted, a smirk of her own on her lips, stepping out of position and over to the edge of the ring to look over at them both with Elle behind her.

“Myself, and my good buddy here too.” He smiled, gesturing to his friend next to him.

“I don’t know babe; we don’t just spar with random people.” Elle whispered to Lucy, loud enough for the two men to hear though.

“Trust me, darlin’. We ain’t just random people.” The man’s friend flirted. Lucy purposely grimaced at the friend.

“Mind putting your money where your mouth is then?” Elle challenged.

“What are you offering?” Jake responded quickly.

“If your partner can beat my girl, you can spar with us. But if my girl beats your friend here, we get to pick our own sparring partners,” She replied with a smile “You up for that, baby?” 

Lucy smirked over at Jake’s friend “Absolutely.”

“This ain’t some pansy boxing shit, we’re fighting for real. Think you can handle that?” He taunted.

“Easy. Best of three.” Lucy agreed.

“Then it’s settled, may the best man OR woman win.” Jake grinned. Elle placed a kiss on Lucy’s cheek again, and then climbed out of the ring whilst his friend climbed into it. 

Both of them started in first position and then started to spar. It started off as an even fight, it wasn’t too challenging for Lucy to handle, she’d gotten a couple of hits in, but he had too. But then he made a mistake, and aimed for her right shoulder, but Lucy grabbed his arm and pulled his body weight towards her and then flipped him over her shoulder and bent his arm far enough backwards that it could snap the bone. He struggled for a few moments, and then tapped the floor three times, so Lucy let go of him.

“Lucky hit.” He muttered in annoyance, getting into position again.

“Yeah, sure it was.” Lucy smirked, glancing over to Elle who grinned at her and Jake, who was also smiling.

Then began sparring again, this time he was landing a few more hits on Lucy than she would’ve liked, and he managed to get her into a headlock and began choking her out until she tapped onto the floor. She regained her breath, and he offered a hand up which she took gratefully.

“Good hit.” She complimented, brushing herself off and then getting into first position again.

They sparred for the final time, both of them getting an even amount of hits in and Lucy knew she’d end up with a fair few bruises on her body and maybe a black eye, but it was exhilarating. Her physical training had definitely paid off, and she was actually enjoying it rather than finding it torturous. Once again, he landed a messy hit and Lucy reverse it, spinning him round and sending him onto the floor where she kept her foot pressing dangerously on his neck. He tried his best to get out of it, but eventually tapped out. Lucy offered her hand to him, and he grimaced before accepting it.

“Not bad, for a girl. I was-…” He went to give excuses.

“Letting me win, going easy? Not like I haven’t heard those before.” She grinned ceremoniously, jumping over the ropes out of the ring and walking next to Elle.

“You fought very well, where’d you learn?” Jake questioned, his grin not subsiding for a moment.

“The FBI, before they fucking fired us.” Lucy sighed angrily.

“You’re ex-feds?” He raised an eyebrow, his grin turning into a satisfied smirk.

“Yeah, best thing they did was fire us though, right babe? Said I was too violent and that she was taking bribes.” Elle replied, wrapping an arm around Lucy’s waist and pulling her close.

“Were you takin’ bribes?” He asked and Lucy shrugged, a smirk playing on her lips.

“Depended how much they were offering.” Jake laughed heartily and then glanced between them both.

“I like you both. What’re your names?” 

“Megan Evans, and my girl is Josie Summers.” Elle introduced them both.

“I’m Jake Rizzo, and my friend you just knocked on his ass is Calvin Peterson.” Jake offered his hand to shake to both of them, which they both accepted one after the other.

“Pleasure, but I believe we won the bet.” Lucy smirked and he nodded, his smirk not subsiding.

“Yes, you did, and we’d be honoured to be your sparring partners, if you’d want to choose us.” He replied.

“Who else is there to choose from?” Elle quizzed and he glanced around the gym and then shrugged.

“Anyone else here ain’t going to be above your expertise if you’re ex-feds. If you train with us, at least you’ll be getting’ a fair fight.” Calvin spoke from the edge of the ring, gulping down a bottle of water after he spoke.

“Hmm…” Elle murmured teasingly.

“I think what my girlfriend is trying to say, is that we accept your offer.” Lucy rolled her eyes at Elle’s playful attitude.

“Excellent. Let’s get started, there might be a few things I can teach you both…” Jake clasped his hands together joyfully and jumped into the ring.

Lucy and Elle followed him, but not before sharing a knowing glance; they’d found their way in.


	9. in

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> lucy and elle are working hard at the assignment, but it feels like something is destined to go wrong

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope you guys enjoy! leave a comment with any feedback <3

“You’ve really got to stop taking hits to the face, Luce. It’s getting really bad.” Elle sighed, pressing an ice pack to Lucy’s right cheek gently. Both of them were sat in their new shared apartment after getting back from another sparring session with Rizzo and Peterson, it had been another month and they were nearly getting into the underground ring.

“Yeah, I know. It’s a little bit difficult when Rizzo has the strength of steel when he hits.” Lucy replied.

“Strauss called Robson again, she seems desperate to get through to you.” Elle mentioned, handing the ice pack to Lucy.

“Robson said we couldn’t contact them directly, so I haven’t. I’m not really sure what she wants at this point.” Lucy sighed in annoyance.

“An update? To check in that you’re okay?” She suggested, grabbing some bruising cream off the coffee table and squeezing some onto her fingertips.

“She can get that from Robson, she doesn’t need to hear it from me.” Lucy said, taking the icepack off her cheek for a moment whilst Elle applied the cream to her eyelid and cheek. Elle sighed and shrugged her shoulders, putting the last bits of the cream on.

“I’m not going to fight you on it, Luce. But if she calls you should answer, but if you really don’t want to talk to her, I’ll do it.” Lucy’s eyes narrowed at her in surprise.

“You’d do that?” Elle nodded, her hand lingering on Lucy’s cheek for a small moment whilst they both stayed quiet, unmoving. Lucy cleared her throat and they both moved, Elle removing her hand from her cheek.

“So, what’s our next move?” Lucy asked, hiding her cheeks from Elle has they blushed a furious pink.

“There is only so many times we can knock Peterson and Rizzo on their asses. We should be in the underground ring soon, that’s when it gets really dangerous. We’ll have to learn how to play dirty.” Elle replied, leaning into the sofa and letting her head rest on the top.

“Any ideas on how?” Lucy asked.

“We use what we know, and anything extra that Rizzo and Peterson can teach will be extra.” Elle responded, getting up from the sofa and walking into their shared kitchen.

“The sooner we get into that ring, the sooner we find the drugs and bust them – right?” Lucy questioned nervously.

“It’s going to be another couple months, Luce. I know you’re eager to get back to the team and I understand, but we’ve got to be patient otherwise everything we’ve been working for will go to nothing.” Elle explained carefully, her voice full of sympathy as she pulled a bottle of water from the fridge. Before Lucy could respond, her phone began blaring its ringtone.

“It’s Robson, I’ll be back in a few.” She said as she checked the caller ID, quickly getting up off the sofa and going into the bedroom.

“Hello?” She answered the call.

“Copeland, it’s Robson. You’ve got a work call coming in via Skype in the next few minutes, I’ll text you the details and you will already be logged into an account. All you have to do is load it up and they will call you.” He replied bluntly. Lucy sighed in annoyance.

“Fine.” She replied, just as bluntly.

“It won’t last long; it will be an update on the operation and that’ll be it.” He offered, and Lucy snorted.

“If it’s just an update, why can’t you do it?” Robson laughed on the other end.

“Some agents have days off, Copeland. And they asked for you specifically, wouldn’t take me, so that’s it. I’ll call you in a fortnight for more updates, stay safe.” And the line went dead on the other end. Lucy sighed in annoyance and threw the phone onto the bed, and then moved over to the desk and set up the laptop that they’d been given.

She quickly loaded up Skype and waited for the call to come through, and after a few minutes of waiting, it finally came through. She answered it after it rang a few times, and as the computer screen loaded up – she was surprised to be met with not only Strauss, but Hotch as well.

“Copeland, you’ve been hard to reach.” Strauss stated, her voice neutral but Lucy could tell that she was pissed by the expression etched into her face.

“I apologise, ma’am. The operation has been very full-on.” Lucy replied, her voice stayed calm and collected.

“Yes, so I’ve heard from your handler, Robson.” She said sarcastically, and Lucy bit her tongue from saying anything in her own defence.

“Robson updated that you made contact, is that correct?” She questioned further, and Lucy nodded.

“Yes, both Greenaway and I have made contact with two members of the underground ring – Rizzo and Peterson. We expect we’ll be invited to fight in the ring soon, which will lead us to Gallo and the drug cartel behind it.” Lucy reported, and she watched Strauss nodding her head, the answer seeming to satisfy her.

“And Agent Greenaway, are you two working well with each other?” She questioned again.

“We’re working fine, ma’am.” Lucy answered bluntly, her lips creating a thin line.

“Good. I’ll leave you and Agent Hotchner to speak briefly.” Strauss stated, and then appeared to leave frame, and the room as the echo of the door shutting could be heard.

“How are you?” Hotch asked, his face immediately softening and dropping the stern façade.

“Honestly? I’m exhausted and I hurt a little bit, but overall I’m okay.” Lucy told him honestly.

“You’ve changed.” He almost looked like he was smile, and Lucy ran her hands through her hair quickly.

“Yeah, Bureau orders unfortunately.” 

“It suits you... The team misses you.” He told her, a sad and brief smile broke through onto his face. Lucy smiled back at him sadly and nodded.

“I miss them too. Are they all okay?” She asked and he nodded.

“They’re fine. You need anything at all?” He offered and Lucy shook her head.

“No, I’m all set here.” 

“And the bruising?” 

“It’ll go down in a day or two, and the perks of the job- “ Lucy was interrupted by Elle sticking her head around the door and signalling her to come back. “I have to go.”

“Go, stay safe.” He said, and Lucy nodded and shut the laptop; ending the call. Lucy sighed and got up from the chair and headed back into the lounge where Elle was sat waiting.

“I just got a call from Rizzo. We’re in.” 

“How’d the call go?” Rossi whispered to Hotch as he entered his office, minutes after Hotch had left Strauss’ office and got into his own. Hotch nodded at him to shut the door and blinds, and Rossi took a seat in front of him after doing both.

“They’ve made progress in the last two months; Strauss hasn’t been able to contact her in two months but got very vague updates from Robson but seeing her in person seemed to reassure her.” Hotch reported.

“And how did Copeland look?” Rossi asked and Hotch sighed, leaning back into his desk chair.

“She’s cut and dyed her hair, had a black eye from the fighting and she’s got tattoos too. She’s changed.” 

“Perks of the job, I imagine.” Rossi sighed and Hotch nodded.

“She seemed to be doing okay, they’ve yet to get into the underground ring but when they get into that, that’s when they’re fully putting their lives at risk. It could be another few months before they pull them both from the operation.” He said and Rossi nodded with a grimace on his face.

“And by then, chances are there might not be anything to pull out.” Hotch nodded bleakly.

“She spent a whole month in intense FBI training, so by now she’s going to be a near expert in combat, but it doesn’t stop me worrying. She’s still emotional, and working with Greenaway too… I don’t like it.” Hotch explained his worries, and Rossi continued to nod along.

“Garcia, Reid, JJ and Morgan have settled on the fact that Copeland left without any explanation too. They aren’t upset anymore, they’re angry.” Rossi added.

“And Emily?” Hotch questioned and Rossi simply shrugged.

“I don’t know what she thinks, when we had the conversation three months ago, she agreed with the undercover story, but now with the others influencing her… I can’t be sure.” Rossi explained.

Emily Prentiss was sat in her empty apartment, staring at her dark walls. It was her one day off this week, and she was exhausted from the previous cases they’d been dealing with. She’d agreed to meet Reid for a couple of hours, but she wasn’t sure if she could find the motivation. 

When she first found out Lucy had just upped and left three months ago, she didn’t feel anger or betrayal. She just felt upset that her friend, maybe even her best friend had just upped and left without explanation. The theory that she and Rossi had spoken about fit, so why was she having such a hard time believing it? Especially when the rest of the team just assume that she just left without goodbye and followed Elle Greenaway. It would make sense, she loved Elle, so she’d happily go back to her, right? 

It wasn’t like her and Lucy were actually in a relationship or anything romantic. They’d not even spoken about it; they were just friends. So, Emily had no right to feel this cold feeling of betrayal, jealousy and hurt. She should be happy for Lucy, she found someone she wanted to spend her life with, it just hurt that it wasn’t her.

The only person she’d admitted her feelings to was Rossi, but with the amount of times that the team had mentioned Elle when talking about Lucy – it made her feel inferior to her; like she would always come second best. Emily didn’t want to feel like that, so she decided that today was the day she’d start moving on. If Lucy were to ever come back, she’d keep her distance and stay friends, but those feelings for her would stay locked firmly in a box, but every week that went on and there still wasn’t any news, Emily doubted she would ever see her again.

“First match, Summers. You nervous?” Rizzo smirked at her whilst she was getting ready for her first match. It was the same day, Rizzo had someone drop out at the last second and called to get the spot filled out with Lucy, and because of the operation they had no choice but to accept. She laughed and shook her head. 

“Nah, they’re the ones who should be nervous.” Rizzo grinned and nodded.

“Like the confidence, just remember I’ve got a lotta money riding on you tonight. You could make me a very rich and happy man, Josie.” His eyes wandered along Lucy’s body and she immediately feel the need to empty the contents of her stomach.

“Rizzo, you hittin’ on my girl?” Elle joked from the door as she peered round. Her eyes locked with Lucy’s and it looked like she was concerned.

“Never, Evans. I was just admiring her skill and letting her know she’ll be appreciated tonight.” His voice was sultry and continuing to make Lucy uncomfortable, and Elle could tell.

“Could you give me a minute with her? Then she’s all yours.” Elle asked him and he smiled and nodded.

“Course, see you in a minute, Summers.” He winked, and then shut the door behind him as he left.

“You okay?” Elle dropped the façade of the honeyed voice, and went straight over to Lucy, gently grabbing one of her hands and squeezing.

“Other than Rizzo being a huge fucking creep and my possible death tonight, yeah I’m peachy.” Lucy replied sarcastically, but the sweat forming on her brow was saying otherwise.

“Hey, look at me,” Elle spoke gently, and Lucy glanced up at her “I know you’re scared okay; you have every right to be. But I’m right here and I’m not leaving. You’re going to be fine.” 

“That Megan or Elle talking?” Lucy questioned, and Elle’s eyes softened.

“I’m here, and I’m going to help you through it.” Lucy had barely noticed that Elle still had a grip on her hand.

“Why is it always me that goes first?” Lucy groaned and Elle laughed softly, shrugging her shoulders.

“You’re just unlucky. You got this, okay? You can win, I know you can.” Lucy smiled, and squeezed her hand back.

“Come on, Summers. Let’s go, it’s time.” Rizzo appeared around the door again, smirking at the both of them. Lucy let go off Elle’s hand, and began walking away when she felt her wrist be grabbed suddenly and her body flipped back around, met with Elle’s face inches away from hers.

Elle’s hand trailed from Lucy’s wrist to her cheek, and she gently caressed it. Her other hand came to Lucy’s neck and she pulled her lips down and kissed her. Lucy wasn’t surprised she’d kissed her; they’d kissed before for the cover, but this felt different. This didn’t feel like the kisses that Megan and Josie shared, this felt like a kiss that would be shared between Lucy and Elle. Lucy responded, kissing her back gently before pulling away, her eyes wide as she stared up at Elle whose cheeks were flushed, and eyes were just as wide – as if she was shocked she’d done it.

“For good luck.” She whispered, and Lucy swallowed nervously, nodding and then followed Rizzo out.

“You know, you’re mighty lucky you’ve got a girl like that who’s supportive. My ex-wife, she didn’t like I was in this and that’s what ended us.” He spoke.

“How come you didn’t just stop?” Lucy asked and he laughed, as if the answer were obvious.

“Listen here, kid. This ring isn’t something you can just leave, and deep down my ex-wife knew that when she married me, but I think she had some hope that I’d find a way out – for the baby.” Lucy was shocked, he had a kid?

“You have a kid?” She questioned, unable to hide the shock in her voice. Rizzo nodded from in front of her and continued on walking.

“A daughter, Imogen. She’s the sweetest, but when my ex-wife divorced me, she took her away. I get a phone call once a month, and a yearly visit if I’m lucky.” He replied. 

“I’m sorry.” Lucy apologised. Truth was, she wasn’t sure what to say. The ex-wife and daughter weren’t in the file, which meant that the FBI didn’t know about it.

“Don’t be. It’s better than not seeing her at all.” He replied bluntly, and they both stayed in silence as they walked to the back of the arena. Rizzo turned, smiled and squeezed Lucy’s shoulder in an attempt in comfort.

“Just remember – I have $1000 dollars riding on you tonight. Don’t disappoint.” Suddenly the smile didn’t feel genuine and felt more sadistic. Lucy swallowed hard, and nodded at him, before waiting for her opponent. As her opponent was announced, she was suddenly aware of how loud the crowd was, and how small she felt in comparison. 

Everything became white noise whilst her breathing began to speed, and she could feel herself panicking. She just wanted to go home, she didn’t want to do this, to be here. Her mind flooded with so many thoughts of being home – with the team… With Emily. It had been a while since she’d invaded her thoughts, Lucy would admit. She missed her, but then she realised that it wasn’t the team that was home… It was Emily, she’d become home when she joined the team and it had taken her this long to realise it.

Lucy had to win this fight, to get home, to get back to Emily. The noise came back in bursts, just as her the announcer called out Josie Summers. Lucy clicked her neck, feeling the bones pop and cracked her knuckles too, before taking the leap and running into the ring. She was met with her opponent for the first time.

It was good to see that they’d matched her evenly other than the height factor. Lucy was a small 5 ft 1, whereas the man in front of her was clearly above 6 feet tall. He was an athletic build, but not where muscles were rippling everywhere, but it was enough to tell Lucy that he was strong and a good stamina for the fight. 

“Fight rules – the fight ends once the opponent is either knocked out or has tapped out three times, no rounds. That’s it, ready?!” The announcer yelled. Lucy’s opposite grinned and nodded, and Lucy nodded back, and they headed into their respective corners to wait for the bell to ring.

Before she knew it, the bell was rung, and her opponent was charging her straight away. As he charged, Lucy saw that he was heavy on his feet, and his left foot was stronger than the other, so her guess was that he’d also be left-handed. He took a swing straight away, and her guess turned out correct as she ducked as soon as he swung, and she pushed him tumbling backwards into the centre of the ring. She took a quick swing and managed to collide into his right cheek from where he was dazed from the push. The hit wasn’t too hard and didn’t make too much of a difference, but Lucy got a good guess of his average strength and pain tolerance from that one hit.

They continued fighting for what felt like eternity, both of them landing hits left, right and centre. Lucy had a bloody nose, a busted lip and a possible broken finger – but she continued on. Her stamina was keeping her going, and she noticed her opponent was getting tired as his footwork and punches became sloppy. She continued blocking his hits, to a point where none of his were landing anywhere and then pushed him away from her, dazing him and that’s when she took her opportunity.

She kicked his stomach, so he was against the railing of the ring and went for hard swing as his cheek, and then a swift upper cut to his jaw. Both hit him harshly, and she could tell by the grimace on his face that it had hurt him too. He was close to collapsing, but she had to finish this. She backed off and gave him a chance to move forward, which he did and then she kicked him right in the face. He coughed, spluttered and then fell to the floor – completely knocked out.

The crowd roared in approval, and she glanced around the crowd to see Rizzo grinned and jumping up like a mad man, whilst Elle was beside him, smiling but her expression showed extreme worry. Lucy nodded at her, a smile etched onto her face and that’s when she felt the real tiredness kick in. Moments later after she was declared the winner by the announcer, she left the ring and was met by Rizzo grinning brightly, Elle catching up beside him.

“That was insane, holy shit! You’ve just made me a very happy man, Summers! In fact, there is someone I want you to meet…” Rizzo explained and Lucy tiredly nodded, struggling to keep her eyes open.

“Come on, we’ll meet him out back so you can get checked out too.” He said, and Elle nodded in approval, immediately putting her arm around Lucy’s waist and supporting her as she walked behind Rizzo to the changing rooms. As Rizzo opened the door, he was met by a strong pair of arms wrapping him in a hug.

“Rizzo, it’s good to see you.” The man greeted him.

“Good to see you too. Here, I brought the two I was talking about the other day.” He said to him in a hushed whisper. They walked further into the changing rooms, and Lucy and Elle followed them. As they got inside, they shut the door behind them and sat down on the nearest bench.

“Summers, Evans. This is my business associate and good friend, Victor Gallo. Vic, this is Josie Summers and Megan Evans. I think they could be real good for business.” He introduced and finally Lucy looked up to be met with the man who they’d been trying so hard to find.

“Pleasure.” Lucy smiled, ignoring the searing pain in her wrist as she offered her hand to shake, which he took gratefully.

“Please, it’s all mine. Now… Rizzo’s been telling me you’re ex-feds, and I need a couple dirty cops on my side with the business I run. You two up for it?” Gallo offered.

“What do you need?” Elle questioned carefully.

“Well, you see. My side business is the fighting ring here, the real business is the one I run next to here. See, if you keep fighting the way you did tonight, you’re going to make many men rich – which is good as all they’ll buy with their money is drugs.” He explained.

“And that’s your real business?” Lucy added and he nodded with a fond smile.

“Smart girl. Now, Summers. If you keep fighting, in a few weeks I’ll introduce you to the warehouse and you’ll be able to get your hands on the next step of the business… If you’re interested,” He offered. “And Evans too, if she fights like you… Which Rizzo has assured me you do.” He added on.

“What’s in it for us?” Elle questioned, her eyebrow raised at him and he smirked.

“Another smart girl, we’ll give you a cut. Say – 10% of every batch we sell depending on if you win.” He offered. Elle turned to Lucy as if she were contemplating it, and then nodded.

“You got yourself a deal.” She smirked back, offering her hand to shake which he took.

“Great. Now, there’s a first aid kit on the bench. Get your girl patched up, she’ll be fighting again in a few days. And you, Evans. We’ve got a spot tomorrow night, if you’re in?” Gallo grinned.

“Absolutely.” Elle confirmed.

“Good. I’ll be in touch; I’ll see you all very soon.” He smirked, and then left the locker room – Rizzo right behind him.

“Holy shit, are you okay?” Elle let out a breath and immediately went to check Lucy over for injuries.

“Cuts, bruises – but fuck my wrist is killing me.” Lucy moaned out in pain.

“Okay… Let me wrap it, and we’ll ice it as soon as we get back. I need to make a phone call when we get back too.” Elle reassured her, grabbing the first aid kit and getting the bandages from it.

“He said he’d call in a fortnight-…” Lucy went to protest but Elle shook her head straight away.

“No, we need to contact him, this information can’t wait for two weeks. Also, we need a physio to check your hand. There’s going to be a lot of bruising when you’ve iced it.” She replied. Instead of fighting, Lucy just sighed and then hissed in pain as Elle began wrapping her hand.

“Sorry… This is going to hurt.” Elle said softly, carefully wrapping the bandages around and around her hand. Lucy glanced up, and her gaze met Elle’s.

“That kiss earlier… What was that?” She whispered, Elle sighed and didn’t reply for a moment.

“And don’t you dare say it was cover, okay? I know what those kisses are like but this one… This one was different.” She said and Elle nodded.

“I know, okay. I know. I can’t talk about it right now; can we talk about it later?” She asked, her eyes pleading.

“Fine.” Lucy sighed, nodding in agreement and Elle smiles softly, and bravely pressed a kiss to Lucy’s forehead.

“Thank you. Come on, let’s go home.” She said, helping Lucy up,

It was two weeks later, and Hotch sat in his office writing in a file but it was clear that he couldn’t concentrate. Strauss hadn’t heard from Robson, for from Lucy recently and it was beginning to worry him. He knew that they were only supposed to get updates every fortnight, but Robson was late delivering the updates. Robson was like clock word, whenever he heard from Elle and Lucy he’d call. But it was mid-afternoon now and he hadn’t heard anything, and he was certain Strauss hadn’t heard anything either from the way she was staring intently at her phone on her desk.

Hotch watched Strauss glance up at him through her windows and shake her head, which confirmed his suspicions. He sighed, and then nodded towards her and turned to his file he needed to focus on, but before he could put pen to paper, there was a knock at his door.

“Hotch? We have a case.” JJ spoke as she peered around the door. He nodded, getting up from his office chair and then following JJ to their conference room. He took a seat in between Rossi and Morgan, and behind them trailed Reid and Prentiss and they sat down next to Morgan.

“Two bodies found in Chicago. Both found with their tongues cut out and beaten to death. One Calvin Peterson and one Alexander Robson.” JJ announced, pressing a button on the remote to show the bodies. Hotch immediately looked up and panic hit, this was why they weren’t getting updates from Robson, he was a victim. And it can’t be a coincidence that Lucy had mentioned a Peterson in their call two weeks ago.

“Robson is an FBI Agent…” Rossi mentioned, and Hotch could see the cogs working in his mind.

“The Bureau won’t disclose any information about Robson’s cases leading up till his murder, why not?” Morgan questioned as read the file. 

“Something about an operation he was running – could be the reason he was killed?” Prentiss suggested, and Hotch then felt Rossi’s eyes on him.

“We can’t wait, wheels up in 30.” Hotch spoke, and swiftly left the conference room, straight into Strauss’ office. 

“Agent Hotchner? What can I do for you?” She eyed him suspiciously.

“Robson’s dead.” Hotch announced, putting the file open on her desk and showing the photos to her.

“Other victim is Calvin Peterson. Copeland mentioned a Peterson two weeks ago. Her and Greenaway are in danger if this is unsub knows their true identity.” He added and Strauss swallowed heavily, nodding.

“I’m coming with you on the case. The Bureau won’t lay claim to Greenaway and Copeland being their agents unless they have to.” She spoke and Hotch nodded in agreement.

“The team will find out.” Hotch warned and she nodded.

“We’ll tell them when we need to, when it’s safe for them both.” She confirmed, and Hotch nodded. Both of them then filed out of the office and went into the bullpen with the others grabbing their stuff.

“This is going to be treated as a high-profile case now as we’re going to need help from the Bureau, Strauss will be coming with us so we can find out what operation Robson was doing before he was killed.” Hotch announced to the team, who all looked upon him with confusion, but nodded.

The team touched down in Chicago and immediately went to the local PD to set up, whilst Strauss went straight to the Bureau to get the information released, and to pull both Greenaway and Copeland from the mission. Hotch was standing with the rest of the team in the local PD conference room that had been set up for them and they were going through all the information that they knew.

“Robson’s apartment was clean; he hadn’t been living there for months. Still no indication what he was doing months before his death.” Morgan said, the frustration growing in his voice.

“Peterson was a regular boxer, no indication of any foul play.” Prentiss agreed with Morgan.

“That’s where you’re wrong, my fine little friends. Peterson was getting large sums of money dropped into an offshore account by someone called Jake Rizzo and another guy called Victor Gallo.” Garcia reported from the phone.

“Backgrounds, Garcia?” Rossi questioned, then making eye contact with Hotch as well.

“Sent them both over, they’ve both got records with violence, drug relations and oooh – get this. Seems like they have a little side business with a fighting ring, and interestingly enough – it’s underneath the gym that Peterson attended.” She continued researching.

“Anything on the ring, Garcia?” Prentiss asked.

“I will get back to you on that once I know more.” She replied, and the line went dead as JJ handed out the files on Gallo and Rizzo.

“Drug charges, more drug charges and assault.” Rossi noted.

“The unsub is violent; the beatings are intense and personal. And the cutting out of the tongue, it’s like the unsub wants them to stop talking.” Reid said and the team murmured in agreement. 

Hotch glanced out of the conference room and noticed Strauss coming into the PD, file in hand and a look of pure worry on her face. 

“Did you get anything from the Bureau, Erin?” Rossi questioned, a raised eyebrow on his face at her expression.

“Robson was investigating a drug cartel in the months leading up to the murder.” She told the team.

“Who was he investigating?” Prentiss asked.

“Victor Gallo was the ring-leader, and Jake Rizzo is one of his right-hand men.” She replied.

“So, this ring is a lot bigger than we originally thought.” Rossi stated and Hotch nodded.

“We need to get inside that ring, someone has to go into that gym and find out when the next fight is.” Morgan said, but was interrupted by his phone ringing.

“Go ahead, Garcia. You’re on speaker.” He said.

“I was looking through Peterson texts messages, he was messaging a burner-cell so I can’t track it, but he was supposed to be fighting tonight. I’ve sent you the address, the fight is scheduled for 10pm tonight.” She reported.

“That’s where we’ll find the unsub.” Reid agreed.

“Summers, I’ve got a fight for you. Tonight, 10pm. Peterson pulled out.” Lucy could tell Rizzo was grinning from ear to ear over the phone.

“Great, I’ll be there.” She replied.

“Bring your girl too, this one is going to be huge and I’d hate for her to miss it.” Lucy furrowed her brows in suspicion at his tone in voice changed.

“Alright, see you then.” She said politely.

“Yes, you will.” He replied, and the line went dead. She glanced up at Elle who was looking over at her, worried.

“I’ve got a fight tonight, 10pm. He wants you there too.” Lucy said and Elle shook her head.

“We should throw this, he’s suspicious. I’ve been trying to call Robson all day but nothing.” Elle paced around the lounge, worried.

“If we throw, we risk throwing our cover. We have to attend; we don’t have a choice.” Lucy sighed.

“You’re going to get hurt! Luce, I really don’t like this.” She panicked.

“Elle, I know. But this is the only way, we have to do this.” Lucy tried to reassure her.

“We can’t! We’ve heard nothing from Robson, something isn’t right!” She continued freaking out.

“Elle, I have to do this. We both know how dangerous this ring is, but I’ve got to do it. The only way to keep us safe is to do this fight.” Lucy said and Elle finally sighed, nodding in agreement.

“10pm tonight, and then we try and call Robson again. Something isn’t right, I can feel it.” Elle agreed.

“I’ll be fine, don’t worry.”


	10. hospital

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the team bust open the ring and lucy and emily finally reunite

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope you guys enjoy this :)

Lucy cracked her neck as she waited on the side-lines by the underground ring. She was getting ready for the fight, but she wasn’t sure how she felt about this one. As she glanced around the crowd, her eyes landed on Rizzo and Elle wasn’t with him, which was surprising. Normally when she fought, Elle would stand right by Rizzo, but not this time. She searched the crowd and found her right at the front of the crowd by the railing, she was avoiding Rizzo. This wasn’t good.

The announcer started shouting over the microphone, and before Lucy knew it, her name was announced, and she jumped over the railings into the ring. She was announced before her opponent which was unusual, which added more to her nerves. As she stood in her corner, all the noise faded out and all she could focus on was her rapid heartrate gradually getting faster and faster. 

The announcer yelled out again, and in the ring came her opponent. She swallowed hard; it was Victor Gallo himself. Elle was right, they knew, and she was in trouble. Her eyes darted around for help, and saw Elle panicking too but Rizzo’s men were enclosing on her. This was it.

The crowd was roaring, but Lucy could only focus on her breathing and the fact that Victor Gallo was about to kill her right in front of everyone. Gallo was huge, 6ft 5 and bulking full of muscles. He could strangle her with his foot if he tried, and she knew he would – he was wearing a sadistic smirk on his face and his already bruised knuckles told her that he’d already been busy.

He charged at her, and all she could do was duck and weave his punches. She couldn’t fight back, if he caught her arm, he could crunch it within his hand and then she’d be done for. She just had to continue dodging and staying alive. But of course, Gallo was quick. Quicker than any opponent she’d ever faced, and even when she dodged – he managed to land some harsh hits – one in her shoulder, one square in the jaw and one in the stomach. She coughed and felt blood trickle out of her mouth as she did. 

Gallo was hitting hard, and Lucy knew soon that her legs would give out and he wouldn’t stop kicking and punching until she stopped breathing. He had backed her up against the railings and she felt herself grip onto them for life and continue to try and dodge the punches being thrown. But it was too late, Gallo kicked her square in the chest and then landed another hit square in her jaw. Blood spurted from her mouth, she closed her eyes and waited for another hit to come but it didn’t. She opened them and saw Gallo being arrested in front of her by Rossi and Morgan. Wait, Rossi and Morgan??

Lucy felt her legs grow heavy as she began to stumble but felt herself be lifted by a pair of arms.

“Easy, Copeland!” Hotch said gently, supporting her weight as her legs gave out. 

“Elle, is she-….” Her breathing was laboured.

“She’s fine, let’s get you checked out.” He pulled her against him as she limped out of the underground arena and outside the gym. Her eyes were blinded by the red, white and blue lights and her ears folded against the blaring sirens. She continued to be pulled towards the ambulance by Hotch, but her eyes started growing heavy and the noise fading out.

“Copeland, stay with me.” Hotch demanded, his voice stern but caring. But it was too late. Her body went limp and her eyes closed, all of her weight enclosing on Hotch. Hotch continued to carry her and then the paramedics took Lucy’s weight, lying her on a spinal board and immediately started checking her injuries. They threw up her t-shirt, and Hotch grimaced as he saw the array of purple, black, green and yellow bruising all over her stomach and chest. They then checked her pupils and found something worrying.

“Abdomen is rigid, she needs to go to the hospital, now!” One of the paramedics said in a hushed whisper, but unfortunately Hotch heard. Before Hotch had a second to say anything, Lucy was being loaded into the back of an ambulance.

“Where’s Copeland?” Strauss questioned, coming through all the chaos and standing beside him.

“On her way to the hospital, it’s bad.” He replied, worry peeking through his tone, gesturing to the ambulance.

“Go. I’ll explain everything to the team. She needs someone there she trusts.” Strauss ordered, Hotch didn’t need to be told twice and jumped into the ambulance beside Lucy. Strauss nodded at him, and the paramedics shut the door and it drove off quickly.

Strauss turned and sighed deeply, staring at the chaos and noticing the rest of the team crowded around Elle, who was in handcuffs. Strauss marched over, pushing past the team and taking off the handcuffs, much to the protest to the team.

“She was in the ring, Strauss, you can’t do that!” Morgan complained angrily.

“Go get yourself checked out, Greenaway. I’ll explain.” Strauss whispered to her, using her arms to try and steer her away.

“No, not now. Where’s Lucy? I haven’t been able to find her.” Elle was panicking, but Strauss had noticed the nasty cut on her forehead, and the bruises on her arms and knuckles forming. 

“Lucy?” Reid questioned, confused. 

“Agent Greenaway, you’ve done a good job. Go get yourself checked out at the hospital. That’s an order.” Strauss ordered.

“Not till you tell me where she is!” She shouted.

“She’s at the hospital, which is where you’re going now. Go.” Strauss’ voice got a lot sterner, and Elle’s features paled at learning of Lucy’s location. She nodded and was taken away by the paramedics to the nearby ambulance.

“Strauss, what’s going on?” Morgan questioned; his eyebrow raised in suspicion. 

“Not here, gather the team and meet at the hospital. I’ll explain there.” She stated.

“Yes, ma’am.” Morgan nodded begrudgingly, grabbing Reid by the shoulders and steering him over the cars.

The team arrived at the hospital and found Hotch in the waiting room, Elle sat beside him, the cut on her forehead now stitched and bandaged. They were both sat in silence, Elle tapping her fingers on the arm of the uncomfortable chair she was sitting in.

“Someone needs to explain what the hell is going on! Why isn’t she in handcuffs and arrested?” Morgan spat angrily as he slammed the waiting room door behind him, the rest of the team next to him as Strauss took a seat beside Hotch. Elle rolled her eyes and scoffed.

“For a profiler, Morgan, you’re really fucking dense.” Morgan went to reply something angrily but was cut off by a hand on his chest by Rossi who shook his head at him.

“Around four months ago, you were told that Agent Copeland was fired from the FBI with immediate effect. This was a lie. I made the decision to send her on an undercover operation here in Chicago, alongside Agent Greenaway,” Strauss began explaining, the team began sharing glances between one another in shock. Hotch spared a glance over to Emily, who looked as if she’d seen a ghost as her skin has grown so pale.

“She was ordered to have no contact with anyone from her current life, which included her family and all of you. The only people she could make contact with, is myself, Agent Robson who was her handler and Agent Hotchner.” She finished. The team stopped and glared at Hotch.

“You knew where she was, The whole time? You knew she was safe, but you didn’t tell us?” Reid’s voice was small, hurt with betrayal.

“He didn’t have a choice. I take full responsibility for that, and I apologise to you all. But her continuing to be in contact with her family and all of you put hers and Agent Greenaway’s life at risk. This was the only way to be sure they would’ve been safe undercover.” Strauss replied for Hotch, saving him the trouble of defending himself.

“But it didn’t keep her safe, did it? That’s why we’re here.” Morgan stated sadly.

“No.” She confirmed. 

“So, where is she?” Reid questioned.

“She’s in surgery, something about internal bleeding.” Elle responded; her voice hoarse as if she’d been crying.

The team stayed silent, and all took their own seats in the room. JJ sat between Reid and Prentiss, and she took Reid’s hand into hers gently and squeezed. Reid glanced up, squeezing her hand back and then glanced over to Prentiss who still remained silent and pale.

“I’m going to call Garcia, she should know.” Morgan mumbled quietly, getting up and stepping outside the room with his phone in his hand.

“Have her parents been called?” JJ asked, and Hotch nodded.

“Her father is on his way from Seattle now.”

“What about her mom? I know she’s in the army but they’re close… She should know that Lucy’s in the hospital.” Prentiss spoke for the first time.

“I haven’t been able to make contact with the base she’s on, I’ll try again once we know more information.” Hotch replied. Rossi glanced over to Prentiss next to him and put a hand on her knee and squeezed comfortingly.

“She’ll be okay, kid. From what I’ve heard, she’s pretty strong.” He stated with a small smile. Prentiss face broke into a sad smile for a moment as she nodded.

“Yeah, yeah she is.” Her voice was barely audible, her eyes glistening with tears as she tried to compose herself. Morgan entered the room again, peering around the door and taking a seat next to Rossi who nodded at him.

They waited for hours, the evening turning into early morning. JJ had fallen asleep on Reid’s shoulder, her hand still firmly clasped in his as she slept. In any ordinary situation, that would’ve been the talk of the room, but because everyone’s emotions were high, no one bothered to mention it.

Strauss had been leaving and returning with coffee for everyone and also headed to Chicago PD to clear out the files and sort the case out. Rizzo and Gallo were to be interrogated and charged, but that could wait now. The team’s priority was Lucy pulling through surgery. 

Elle had stayed silent the whole time other than thanking Strauss quietly when she brought in coffee for them all. She’d spared a few glances at Prentiss when she was sure she wasn’t looking over and was making note of all her features. She could see why Lucy liked her, she was pretty, but she couldn’t help feeling jealous that Lucy liked her, and not herself. She’d hoped that maybe they’d be able to start again, but she knew better than that. Even if Lucy wanted to start things again, her pride wouldn’t let her. And adding Prentiss into the mix, it would make things way more complicated.

Prentiss was on the verge of breaking down. Rossi and Morgan both knew that, so both of them kept their attention on her to catch the pieces if she did. Rossi of course knew how she felt about Lucy, at Morgan had suspicions from the beginning, and seeing how she was reacting now proved those. She couldn’t believe she’d been angry at Lucy when all along Rossi’s theory was right, she shouldn’t have followed the others with their anger. Now she felt a guilt that was so heavy, and all she wanted to do was to see Lucy. She’d not seen her in four months, and she wondered if she changed.

“So, were the tattoos your idea?” Hotch broke the silence in the room, turning to Elle with a hint of amusement in his tone. Elle looked shocked for a moment and felt everyone staring at her but soon settled into a remembering smile as she thought back.

“No, those were hers.” She replied, Hotch raised an eyebrow but settled with the answer.

“She got tattoos?” Reid questioned in confusion. Elle smiled softly and nodded, bringing her phone out of her pocket, scrolling through it and then selecting a photo and passing it to Hotch who handed it out to the team. The photo was of her at the boxing gym, pulling a face as she’d finished sparring, all her tattoos on display and her hair put tightly into a small ponytail.

“She cut her hair… Dyed it too.” Prentiss noticed, a ghost of a smile on her lips.

“Bureau’s decision, she wasn’t keen on it.” Elle spoke gently, both of them making direct eye contact before shying away awkwardly.

“She had the pain tolerance for those?” Morgan almost found himself smiling as the photo got around to him.

“She’s stronger than you think.” Elle stated, the smile on her face fixed as she joked with Morgan, just like when they worked together.

“I don’t doubt that, she bulked up too.” He noted fondly. Elle nodded, getting up and taking the phone from his hands and then sitting back down on the uncomfortable seat. The room grew quiet again, but the awkwardness between Elle and the team was broken and it felt like the air was crisp rather than thick with tension. 

The door to the waiting room was opened gently as a doctor walked in and shut it behind him.

“Family of Lucy Copeland?” He asked. The room all nodded, suddenly on the edge of their seats as they waited for the news.

“She’s stable. We found the source of the internal bleeding but repaired it, and according to the scans we took before surgery, there is no traumatic brain injury. She will be suffering with a nasty concussion when she wakes up, however.” He reported.

“So, she’s going to be okay?” Prentiss asked eagerly.

“She’s not completely out of the woods, she’ll have to stay in for the next week or so to ensure there are no complications and infections, but it’s looking very likely she’ll recover well.” He smiled.

“Can we see her?” Morgan requested, and the doctor nodded.

“Yes, she’s in recovery at the moment but once we’ve moved her to a room, we will let you know. It may take her some time to come around from the anaesthetic.” He replied.

“Thank you.” Elle said, and the doctor nodded before leaving the room. There was an overwhelming sense of relief in the room as everyone relaxed. Lucy was alive and going to be okay.

“Garcia’s due to land soon, I’ll go to the airport and pick her up. Rossi, you up for the ride?” Morgan proposed.

“Sure. Call when you know what room she’s in.” Rossi said to Hotch, who nodded and watched as they both left.

They waited for another twenty minutes, when a nurse came and told them that Lucy had been moved and they call all see her one at a time. She reminded them of the visiting hours but decided to let it slide when she found out they were all federal agents and were desperate to see their friend. All of them followed the nurse to her room, and they all banded outside, peering into the windows to see if she was awake.

Lucy was semi-awake, her eyes drooping every now and then with the tiredness of the surgery drugs still affecting her. The bruising on her face was starting to come out, but the cuts on her face had been stitched and cleaned; she looked better than she had done when she collapsed onto Hotch.

“Who’s going first?” JJ asked gently as they all huddled outside the room. They all glanced between Elle and Emily awkwardly.

“You can go, she’ll want to see that you’re okay first.” Prentiss offered politely.

“Are you sure?” Elle asked.

“Yeah of course, go.” She confirmed. Elle nodded and smiled at her grateful, then slipped through the doors into the room and the team watched their interaction.

“Hey there, Mike Tyson.” Elle joked, Lucy opened her eyes and then immediately rolled them at her.

“You’d think having surgery would immediately allow people to be nice to me.” She joked back; her voice croaky from the deep sleep she’d just been in.

“How’re you feeling?” Elle asked, her voice filled with worry and concern. 

“A bit sore, I think the morphine is doing its job though.” Lucy gritted her teeth as she shifted to a more comfortable position on the hospital bed.

“Yeah, doctor said you’re going to be stuck here for at least a week.” She told her and Lucy groaned.

“I fucking hate hospitals, mate. This is gonna suck.” Elle laughed fondly and nodded, and then a silence formed between the two of them as Elle gently grasped Lucy’s hand.

“I’m glad you’re okay, Luce. Really glad.” Lucy smiled and nodded.

“Me too, funnily enough.” Elle rolled her eyes and scoffed.

“You’re awful, you know that right?” 

“Oh absolutely.” Both of them laughed together, and then the quiet that came behind them felt suffocating.

“Am I even in a position to ask for a second chance?” Elle asked after a few moments, her voice incredibly small and quiet. Lucy sighed and squeezed her hand gently.

“If you asked me about 6-7 months ago, I would’ve said yes… But now, I don’t think I can.” She replied, her voice hoarse with unshed tears. Elle took a deep breath and nodded but didn’t drop Lucy’s hand.

A complete silence filled the room.

“It’s her, isn’t it?” Lucy knew who Elle was talking about and nodded sadly.

“I’m so sorry, Elle.” She apologised and felt the tears drop onto her cheeks.

“No… Don’t you dare apologise. We just missed our chance, and that’s my fault. I love you, Luce. That won’t ever change, and with Emily you have a chance to move on and have a fresh start – a good start. You deserve that.” She replied, tears falling down her own face.

“Promise me to stay in contact this time? Don’t go and disappear on me, you’re my best friend.” Lucy stated seriously, and Elle nodded with a small chuckle.

“I wouldn’t dream of it,” Elle dropped Lucy’s hand and wiped the tears away from her cheeks, then glanced behind her to see Emily waiting outside. “I’m going to go now, get some rest, okay? I’ll be back to see you tomorrow.” 

“You better.” Lucy smiled, wiping her own tears away. Elle smiled and nodded, then pressed a soft and lingering to Lucy’s hairline and then walked away from her. The rest of the team had disappeared, and only Emily remained waiting.

“She’s all yours.” Elle smiled, and walked away from her and down the hospital corridors.  
Emily’s eyes furrowed in confusion as she watched Elle walk away, what did she mean by that? She took a deep breath and then opened the doors gently and walked into the room, deliberately not making eye contact with Lucy until she sat down in the hospital chair beside her.

“Hey, you.” Emily smiled forcefully.

“Hey…” Lucy replied, glancing up at her and making eye contact with Emily. Everything she was feeling in that moment went blank, as all she could do was make note of Lucy’s features that she’d longed to see for so long, and her heart clenched.

“How’re you feeling?” She asked, making small talk and trying to avoid the subject that was coming up.

“Sore, but I’ll be okay.” Lucy told her, and then the silence engulfed them both for few moments, both of them wondering what to say.

“I like the haircut, and the tattoos too. Very you.” Emily teased and she chuckled quietly.

“Yeah, I don’t know if I’ll keep the hair short, but the tattoos I like. Not sure my family will when they see them though…” She mentioned.

“The haircut suits you, brings out the shape of your jaw.” She admitted, and Lucy blushed.

“Thanks.” And silence consumed them once again, but it didn’t take long for Lucy to start talking again.

“I’m sorry. For leaving and for not being in contact. I just-…” Emily immediately jumped and grabbing Lucy’s hand and squeezed it, shaking her head.

“You don’t have to apologise for anything. It’s not your fault, it was the job. I know that now. I’m sorry, I was so angry and hurt when you left.” Emily apologised. Lucy laughed and shook her head.

“You didn’t know either, so don’t say sorry, please.” 

“I’m so glad you’re okay.” Emily’s voice cracked with emotion, and Lucy felt her tears begin to start again.

“I missed you.” Lucy admitted, and Emily smiled so softly at her, her eyes gazing at her adoringly.

“I missed you too. Look I know you and Elle have this thing and I don’t want to get in the way of that but-…” 

“We don’t. It was over a long time ago. I… erm, god I don’t know how to fucking do this,” Lucy laughed at herself, shaking her head and trying to control her emotions. She struggled to move but managed to get into a sitting position as she studied Emily’s face, trying to guess what she’s thinking. Breathing deeply, she decided to take the plunge. “I like you, okay? And not like in this cutesy best friend way, as in the you always manage to make me feel like home way. Like, when I think of home, I don’t think of England, or Seattle, or Quantico. I just think of you. You’re the only thing I think of,” She admitted, and Emily could feel tears dripping onto her cheeks. “I don’t know if you feel the same, but there was a moment in my apartment after that really fucking horrible case and we nearly kissed. I don’t know if it was the heat of the moment thing, or if you felt guilty or it was in pity, and then things after that were awkward and we didn’t speak much and then I left…” Lucy trailed off nervously. Emily sighed lightly, a smile on her face as her hand moved from Lucy’s hand to her cheek and she cupped it gently. They both just stared at each other for a moment, searching their features.

“You know what Rossi told me when we went to your apartment after you left?” She stopped to laugh for a moment at the memory. “He profiled me that day as we sat there on your couch and told me as we left to ‘tell you how I feel when you get back’. God, Lucy… I think I liked you the moment you stepped into the bullpen and I saw you for the first time. I’ve been trying to convince myself that I don’t, but I can’t do that anymore.” Emily admitted, stroking her cheek. Lucy sniffled and smiled at Emily through her tears and leaned into her touch. Her eyes flickered down to Lucy’s lips and back up to her eyes, the smile on her face making her look like she’s in a trance. 

Emily took a deep breath and then gently tugged up at Lucy’s chin. The overwhelming scent of a fruity perfume hit her nostrils as she began to lean down. Her heartbeat rapid becoming the only thing she could hear as they got closer and closer, but she suddenly realised that she was sick of being shy, afraid and gentle anymore. Emily claimed Lucy’s lips in an intense kiss, her hands sliding from Lucy’s cheek to her neck to get as close as possible whilst their lips moved against each other. Lucy’s hands moved to linger by her waist as Emily pulled herself on the edge of her seat. 

As Lucy felt braver, she nipped gently at Emily’s bottom lip and then soothed it with her tongue and Emily made the smallest mewl which sent her toes curling and her breathing hitched. At that, she felt Emily’s tongue invade her open mouth and stroke thoroughly and she let out a soft moan, causing Emily’s nails to dig into her neck which kindled a painful pleasure. As Emily continued to explore her mouth, Lucy began untucking at her shirt, and her fingers brushed against the naked flesh at her hips, making Emily’s skin ripple with goosebumps and a muffled moan fall from her lips.

As they pulled away, they both ignored how heavy they were breathing and focused on staying as close as possible and stroking the skin they could feel at their fingertips.

“God, I wish you weren’t in a hospital bed right now.” Emily purred, her voice low and sensual.

Lucy swallowed and tried to ignore the feeling her heartbeat as she struggled to respond.

“Cat got your tongue, princess?” She teased, smirking at her as though she knew what power she held over her.

“Don’t start something that you can’t finish, Prentiss.” Lucy shot back, a dangerous look in her eye as she stared up at her. Emily leaned back in but hovered just above Lucy’s ear.

“Oh kitten, I can definitely finish this… Just not here.” Her voice was sultry, and to add an extra bit of teasing, she playfully nipped to top of her earlobe and pulled away altogether, giving them both some space to recover.

Lucy took a deep breath to calm herself and then leaned back down into the hospital bed, suddenly reminded over her injuries and grimaced in pain.

“You okay? Do you need anything? Pain relief?” Emily questioned, her tone worried and almost terrified as if she’d hurt her.

“No… No, I’m okay. Just forgot for a moment why I was in the hospital bed.” She replied, her eyes fluttering open and closed as the tiredness began to creep back in.

“I should go, let you get some sleep.” Emily stated, moving to leave but a hand on her wrist caught her.

“Please, stay. I don’t want to be alone.” She sounded fragile, so small, that Emily’s heart almost broke into pieces. She smiled at her comfortingly and nodded.

“I’ll stay as long as you want me to.” She confirmed. Lucy smiled weakly at her as she turned to her side where Emily was sitting, and she shifted closer to her when she settled back down into the chair. Emily found herself moving her hand to the top of Lucy’s head and stroking her hair gently, smiling fondly as sleep rapidly began taking over Lucy. 

“You’ll be here when I wake up?” She mumbled, her eyes fluttering shut.

“I’ll be here.” Emily reassured, her fingertips grazing her scalp tenderly.

“What if you’re not? And this is a dream?” Her voice was full of emotion, as if she was on the verge of tears.

“Ssh, baby. I’m right here, I’m not going anywhere. I promise.” She cooed softly, bending over and pressing a kiss to her forehead, nose and then a peck to her lips. Lucy’s eyes opened briefly as a content smile settled on her face, and they shut again as sleep overwhelmed her and her breathing evened out.

Emily continued to stroke her hair for a few minutes after she was asleep, making sure that she was in a deep enough sleep before she pulled her hand away and curled up in the hospital chair beside her. As she moved her hand and began tucking herself into the chair, the door was opened quietly, and her eyes darted to it. Rossi peeked in, a coffee cup in his hand and a smile on his face.

“How’s she doing?” He whispered.

“She’s sore, she won’t admit she’s in pain, but I know she is.” Emily replied, her voice just below a whisper as she didn’t want to wake Lucy up.

“I’m sure she didn’t have a chance to notice she’s in pain.” He joked, and Emily’s face blushed a bright red.

“Did you see-….” She trailed off embarrassed. Rossi laughed quietly and shook his head.

“No, but your secret is safe with me,” He grinned, and she rolled her eyes, but a fond smile was still etched on her face. “You should get some rest, Emily. She won’t know if you head back to the hotel for a couple of hours, I’ll stay here with her.” He offered, but she shook her head.

“No, I promised I’d stay. Thank you, though.” She smiled and he nodded.

“I’ll go back to the hotel. You need anything?” He asked and she shook her head again.

“No, I’ve got everything here.” She glanced over at Lucy as she was curled up, soft snores coming from her. Rossi smiled and nodded again, before tapping Emily’s shoulder and leaving. Emily sighed softly; her hand began stroking through Lucy’s hair which earned a few sleeping hums of approval whilst she curled up into the chair herself. Soon enough, she found herself drifting off to the most peaceful sleep she’d had in months.


	11. wounds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> lucy wakes up with emily by her side and she begins the healing process.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is pretty much pure fluff with a sprinkle of angst ngl, hope you guys enjoy :)   
> (a little bit of suggestive themes toward the end as well)

Lucy was rudely awoken by the bright light burning into her eyes from the small window in the room. She blinked several times to try and get rid of the drowsiness, but somehow, she still felt like she hadn’t slept for days on end. As she slowly moved herself to find a comfier position, she glanced over to the chair next to her where Emily Prentiss was curled up in, her eyes closed and her breathing even as she slept soundly.

Lucy smiled at the sight of her, still feeling giddy from the night before. Of course, it was not how she wanted to confess her feelings for the woman, but it worked all the same. However, she felt awful about rejecting Elle; some part of her still loved her, but she’d changed, and it wasn’t the same anymore.

“Good morning.” Emily’s voice interrupted her thoughts, her voice hoarse from sleep.

“Morning to you too, you slept here all night?” Lucy asked sheepishly, and she nodded with a smile.

“You asked me not to leave, I promised I wouldn’t. I don’t break promises.” She replied as if it were simple. 

“Can’t have been comfortable, though.” Lucy noted and Emily chuckled a little bit.

“No, it wasn’t. But it was worth it.” Emily leaned over and caught Lucy’s hand, entwining their fingers as she stroked her soft skin. They both sat in the comfortable silence for a short time, their hands staying firmly clasped together, but were interrupted by a knock on the window. They both looked up in sync, and saw a tall man staring into it, a relieved grin on his face as he saw Lucy.

“My dad’s here?” Lucy whispered with a completely awed expression on her face.

“Hotch called him as soon as you went into surgery.” Emily confirmed, smiling at Lucy’s reaction. The door opened, and Lucy’s face broke out into a grin as her dad walked in.

“I’ll be back soon, okay?” Emily whispered and then pressed a kiss to their entwined fingers. Lucy nodded wordlessly, still in shock that her dad was here. Emily chuckled, getting out of the chair and crossing over to the doors where she slipped out, leaving just Lucy and her dad together; but her father’s expression had changed from relief to a thunder-like frown. Lucy knew that look all too well.

“Pops, I can explain, alright?” She started and he waved her off straight away.

“No calls for months, Luce. Months.” He stated, his voice deep but she noticed the crack in it as he spoke.

“I know. Please, let me explain.” She hung her head in shame.

“We thought something horrible had happened, your friend – Penelope? She called and asked if we heard from you, and I knew something wasn’t right. And now we’re here, and you’re in a hospital bed.” He sighed sadly.

“Dad, I’m okay. Look at me.” She said, her eyes watering at the sight of her father getting emotional. Her dad glanced up and Lucy took his hands.

“I’m okay. And I was okay until last night, I promise you,” She stated seriously, and her father nodded, and a tear dropped down onto his cheek. “Look I can’t go into any details, but I was assigned a case that meant I had to go undercover. I didn’t have a choice and I couldn’t contact anyone for the time I was working it.” 

“Your friend said you’d lost your job, is that true?” He questioned; his tone confused. Lucy shook her head.

“No. It was all a cover up, so that I could go and work the case here. My unit chief knew, but the rest of the team didn’t. That’s why Pen called, because she wouldn’t have known.” She explained carefully. Her father sat in silence for a few moments, taking in everything she’d said and trying to make a sense of it. Finally, he spoke up again.

“I think I understand… Is the case over now?” Lucy nodded.

“It’s over, they arrested them last night.”

“So, you can go home?”

“I can go home.” Her father smiled and then gently pulled her into a tight hug, conveying all his emotions as he squeezed her. As they pulled away, he wore a knowing smirk on his face.

“So, who was the lovely woman here just now?” Lucy let out a huge groan as her face went bright red with embarrassment. “Hey! I just want to know, especially if my daughter is dating her.” 

“I-…. She’s a friend, Dad. I work with her.” She stated nervously and her father let out a loud laugh.

“Sure, sweetie. Whatever you say.” He replied, his tone sarcastic.

“It’s just complicated!” She protested and her father laughed at her again.

“Everything in your life seems to be that way.” He wiggled an eyebrow at her, and she groaned once again.

“This is not a conversation I want to have with you right now.” Lucy chuckled whilst her cheeks still flushed a ruby red.

“Then we’ll have it when you’re ready to. Thanksgiving is a few months away, why don’t you invite her?” He suggested.

“I don’t know, Dad. It’s new, okay? I don’t want to pressure her. Plus, she’ll probably have plans with her own family.” Lucy replied and he nodded, a gentle smile on his face.

“It never hurts to ask kiddo, but no pressure. I just want to meet the woman who was making you smile like you did a few minutes ago. Anyway, I think there are some of your friends here who want to see you, so I’ll go out and call your step-mom and brothers.” He said, and Lucy nodded again.

“Love you, Pops.” She smiled and he grinned back at her.

“Love you too, kid. I’ll swing by and see you in a little bit.” He leaned over, pressed a kiss on her forehead and then slipped through the double doors of her room. Lucy didn’t have much time in-between visitors, as soon after her dad had left, Morgan came through the doors, with a pot of green jello and a plastic spoon in his hands. Lucy glanced up from her position and was met with Morgan’s steady but stern gaze. They both stared in silence for a few moments, unsure of what to say.

“I know you’re mad, but I didn’t have a choice.” Lucy stated sadly. 

“You could’ve called. You should’ve called.” Morgan stated, the frustration in his voice bubbling over.

“No, I couldn’t have done. Those were the rules; you know I would’ve called if I was allowed to, right?” She asked, and he stayed silent. “You all really thought I’d just up and leave?” Her voice was so quiet that she wasn’t sure he’d heard her, fighting so hard to keep her emotions to herself.

“We didn’t have anything else to think, Copeland. You left nothing behind.” Morgan said. He called her ‘Copeland’, not ‘Lucy’ or ‘Peaches’. He’d not done that in a long time.

“I didn’t have a choice. I swear to you, Derek. I would never have left you guys, not without saying goodbye. You know how much Elle hurt me by doing that, so why would I do it?” She swore and he shook his head.

“But you did. You left, you did exactly what she did, but we didn’t fall apart.” Morgan regretted the words as soon as they came out his mouth, as he watched Lucy’s expression fall. 

“Lucy I-…” He was cut off.

“Don’t apologise, you don’t need to. You’re right. Look, I know I’ve hurt you and I am so sorry; I wish I hadn’t gone but I swear on my life that I didn’t have a choice, and I if did have a choice, I wouldn’t have gone. I would’ve stayed; please, you have to believe me.” Lucy pleaded, but the hurt expression on her face hadn’t faded, she was trying so hard not to cry. She just wanted one day of not crying.

Morgan sighed and sat down beside Lucy, in the hospital chair. There was a thick tension in the air between them, each second adding so you could almost cut it with a knife. The silence weighed heavy until something finally broke it.

“I brought you jello.” He stated as if the previous conversation hadn’t happened. Lucy eyed him carefully, her eyebrow raised in suspicion. Morgan stared at her, a small smile weighing on his lips as he passed the pot and spoon over to her. She continued to frown at him as she took the jello, opening the lid slowly and then digging the spoon into it; finally taking a mouthful and getting the sweet taste that she’d craved.

“So… You and Elle?” He broached another difficult subject, Lucy almost choked on her jello.

“What about us?” She questioned, fighting the urge to mention the fact that she had kissed Prentiss last night. 

“Well, she was pretty worried about you last night. And I saw you two when you woke up from surgery, you looked pretty cosy.” He noted.

“Morgan, there is nothing going on between Elle and me. That ship sailed a long time ago.” She confirmed, taking another delicious bite of the hospital’s jello.

“So, you’re not going back to her?” He asked, and she shook her head.

“No. I’m not.” And with that, he breathed a small sigh of relief. They both sat in silence again as Lucy continued to eat her jello. As Lucy finished, Morgan tapped her lap and got up from the chair.

“I’ll see you later.” His voice wasn’t particularly cold, but she knew she had to do a lot more to earn his trust back.

“Morgan? Are we good?” She questioned. He sighed and nodded.

“Yeah, Luce. We’re good.” His smile was fake, she could see through it. She’d have to prove herself to him and build his trust back, and it was going to be difficult. But he was like a brother to her, so she’d do it – no matter how hard it was.

She leaned back into the hospital bed, suddenly feeling the exhaustion seep into his bones. Carefully, she turned to her left side, away from the blinding sunlight from the window, curled up in a comfortable position and let sleep take her.

She slept for a good few hours. Garcia, Reid, JJ, Elle and Hotch had all come in and sat with her whilst she slept, unbeknownst to her. Her dad had stayed with her most of the time, only stepping out to get coffee or to call the rest of Lucy’s family. The only surprising thing was that Emily hadn’t come back yet, and as the day went on – Lucy spent a lot of time wishing she had come back. It was approaching evening, and she was sat up in bed with Garcia and Reid; it was clear they were breaking the hospital rules, but the nurses turned a blind eye when Reid flashed his smile and badge. Lucy was surprised, she thought he would’ve been angrier, but he seemed happy that she was back, but she couldn’t help but feel a slight hint of suspicion. Garcia on the other hand, was ecstatic to see her and got very teary when they hugged tightly for the first time in months, and Lucy had to admit she got a bit emotional too. 

As she currently sat with Garcia and Reid, she felt herself grinning properly for the first time in months (other than when she and Prentiss had finally kissed). It was so good to be back with her family now, and it had felt like they’d been gone for too long, but she couldn’t help but have this creeping feeling of fear that Prentiss had regretted their kiss and was avoiding her.

“Hey, Luce. You okay? You’ve been staring into space for a while.” Reid asked, worry clear in his tone. Lucy smiled at him and nodded.

“Yeah! Sorry, it’s been a long day.” She brushed it off, but Garcia knew she was worried.

“Luce, it doesn’t take a profiler to guess that you’re struggling. You in pain?” Her voice was so kind and sweet, Lucy almost felt like she didn’t deserve it. She waved them both off.

“Guys, I’m good I swear. I’m just tired and still in a bit of pain.” She wasn’t exactly lying, but she wasn’t telling the truth either. 

“Want us to go get a nurse and get you some pain relief?” Reid nearly jumped out of his seat to help but she put a friendly hand on his wrist.

“Spence, I’m good.” He nodded, but she could see a hint of fear in his eyes.

“Oh, so I have some gossip for you… You might even know about it.” Garcia pointed out, changing the subject at the sense of tension in the room.

“Oh… Really?” Lucy panicked momentarily, immediately thinking that Garcia had seen her and Prentiss kiss last night.

“Yeah… Two people were awfully cosy last night, care to explain yourself?” She teased, but as Lucy went to reply she noticed she wasn’t looking at her, she was looking at Reid and he was a sudden bright red.

“Oh my god – who?!?” Lucy grinned brightly, smacking him lightly as he burst out in a similar smile, and then her brain clicked. “JJ!! It’s JJ isn’t it?! My god, when?? Tell me everything!” 

“After Gideon gave me to the tickets to that game.” He smiled.

“That was like over a year ago… Who else knows?” Both Garcia and Lucy were in complete shock.

“Well, Hotch does. And now you two, so please don’t say anything.” He begged and both of them nodded furiously.

“Spence! I’m so happy for you, both of you!” Lucy smiled, and he nodded – a huge smile on his face.

“Thanks.” He was still blushing brightly. Both Garcia and Lucy exchanged a happy smile, and then turned back to Reid – his face still a tomato.

“So… What led you to this conclusion, Garcia? You weren’t there last night…” Reid pointed out, and this time Garcia smirked at him.

“I don’t reveal my sources.” Lucy snorted at her.

“Bullshit, I want to know too. Who saw?” Reid made a noise in agreement.

“Fine… Prentiss may have noticed, and that’s all I’m saying.” She made a gesture like she was zipping up her lips.

“I may have noticed what?” Lucy felt her heart stop when she heard her voice at the door, all her previous anxieties she was feeling flooded out as she glanced up and saw her head poking through. Their eyes met, and the smile that graced Emily’s lips was infectious, and Lucy’s stomach did a flip just at the sight of it.

“You saw Reid and JJ last night.” Garcia replied, and Emily faked a look of shock on her face.

“Me? I would never.” She said sarcastically, walking over to them and taking a seat on the edge of Lucy’s bed by her feet. 

“No, of course not,” Lucy rolled her eyes playfully at her, and then eyed the bags in Emily’s hands. “Dare I ask what you have there?” 

Emily laughed at her “Oh sorry, I won’t bring food and comfy clothes for you the next time I visit!”

“No! I take it back, pleaseeee.” Lucy pleaded, puppy dog eyes and all. Emily rolled her eyes at her, her smile firmly fixed on her face as Reid let out a small yawn.

“We should get going, we’ll be back tomorrow, sweetie. Look after her for us.” Garcia smiled at both of them, squeezing Lucy’s hand gently. Reid waved at her, smiling, before walking out of the room with Garcia following him.

“I thought they’d never leave.” Emily teased as she moved closer to her, leaning over and pressing a soft kiss to her lips. It was brief, as quick as Lucy’s heartbeat, but it sent her into a frenzy. As she pulled back, she stayed in her space, Emily’s hands reaching up and stroking Lucy’s hair.

“Hey.” She smiled.

“Hey, where have you been all day?” Lucy reached up and stroked Emily’s cheek gently as she smiled softly.

“Well, I got a bit of extra sleep at the hotel. Then, Hotch gave me your address and I picked up some clothes for you as I figured you’d want something to change into, then I thought I’d pick up some food for you as you’re probably sick of hospital food and then-….” Lucy cut off her rambling by capturing her lips in a searing kiss. Emily made a small noise in surprise but sunk into it, her hands tangling into her hair as Lucy’s found their way to her waist, her fingertips stroking gently at the red t-shirt she was wearing. Lucy almost felt like time stopped. All she could focus on was the feel of Emily’s hands in her hair, pulling gently to gage any kind of reaction and the taste of her lips – coffee and maybe vanilla lip balm? Lucy had plenty of time to figure out every little thing about her, but she knew for sure that she never wanted to stop kissing her; she was intoxicating.

They both pulled away reluctantly, their breathing heavy and staying within touching distance.

“I’ll keep on talking if you’re going to shut me up like that.” Emily breathed out, her words coming out as a blissful whisper.

“It can be arranged.” Lucy smiled, pressing a chaste kiss to her cheek as she fully pulled away and leaned back into the bed.

“Anyway… Do you want to see what I got you?” Emily grinned as Lucy nodded furiously. She gently passed the bags over and watched as Lucy unwrapped the food first and watched her face break out into a smile.

“Chinese, good choice.” She complimented, handing some of the boxes over to Emily to share as they both began slowly eating in a comfortable silence. They’d exchange a relaxed glance at one another from time to time as they ate.

“Am I getting any other visitors tonight?” Lucy questioned as she nearly finished her food. Emily smirked and shook her head.

“We all managed to convince your dad to get some sleep at the hotel, and the rest of the team are having a night off – on Hotch’s orders. So, it’s just you and me.” 

“Is it bad that I’m relieved?” Emily laughed again and shook her head.

“No, because I am too.” She admitted. Lucy glanced up to her and smiled, and then continued to eat her food. Once they’d both finished, Emily grabbed the empty boxes and threw them into the bin, and then returned with a duffel bag.

“I got you some comfy clothes – your sweatpants and sweater.” She noted, opening the bag and passing them over. Lucy recognised the clothes instantly, the sweatshirt she’d worn on the flight over to Chicago. She’d worn it so much that it didn’t smell like Emily anymore and it made her heart clench sadly at that thought.

“Hey, you okay?” Emily asked, her hand quickly cupped Lucy’s cheek.

“Yeah, yeah I’m good.” She turned and pressed a kiss to Emily’s palm. Heat rose up to her cheeks which made Lucy smile, taking the sweater and sweatpants and slowly easing herself out of the bed.

“Need a hand?” Emily asked, watching her move slowly.

“I think I’m okay, it’s going to hurt like a bitch though.” Lucy hissed as some of her stitching pulled in the wrong direction. Emily got up from the bed and shut the blinds in the room, causing the only light in the room to be coming from ceiling light, which was dim due to the lateness of the evening.

“Here, let me help.” She insisted, walking over and standing in front of Lucy, inches away from her face. Emily was a little bit taller than Lucy, with Lucy’s height only being 5 ft 4. But Emily couldn’t help but find the small amount of height difference adorable.

“Em, you don’t have to-…” Lucy said sheepishly.

“I want to, come on.” She spoke softly, her arm stretching and then reaching Lucy’s neck where she stroked the exposed skin. Lucy nodded, and turned around where Emily untied the hospital gown and let it gently fall to the floor; exposing Lucy’s skin that was only covered by her underwear. The colours of bruising hadn’t changed, except some of it had slightly faded. Emily’s hand trailed all the bruising across her back, her fingertips ghosting the skin causing a shiver to run up Lucy’s spine. She pressed a light kiss to her bare neck and started playing nervously with the black sports bra she was wearing, wrapping her other arm around her stomach – careful around the stitches.

“I’m okay.” Lucy whispered, sensing Emily’s anxieties. She swallowed hard and pressed another kiss to her neck, and then her mouth hovered above her ear.

“It was close.” Her voice was cracking, emotions peeking through her strong exterior.

“But I’m okay, Em. I’m right here.” Lucy spoke softly, spinning herself around gently and leaning into her, their foreheads touching.

“I thought you were gone.” Her voice was barely above a whisper.

“I know. I’m so sorry for what I put you through.” She replied, her hands falling down and gently entwining them with Emily’s.

“Please don’t do it again.” Lucy leaned upwards and pressed a soft, slow kiss to her lips before pulling away gently.

“I won’t.” She confirmed. Emily nodded, placing a lingering kiss on her forehead and then held the sweater over her head, helping her pull it over as it covered her body. She then helped her put the sweatpants on and both of them sat on the edge of the hospital bed, Lucy’s hand finding itself inside Emily’s.

“Your dad is interesting,” Emily stated, and Lucy groaned, leaning to Emily’s shoulder whilst she laughed. “No, he’s great. I didn’t know you two didn’t have the best relationship when you were growing up though.” Lucy nodded sadly.

“I didn’t see him, or very rarely did. I stuck with my mum and older brother back in England, so when my brother went to university and my mum went overseas, I didn’t have anywhere else to go, so I went there. When I first moved over, I hated him. He had this whole new family and I felt like he’d forgotten me and my older brother, but we moved past it. Took us a long time, but we’re good now.” She explained.

“Must’ve been hard, moving away from England when you lived there your whole life?” Emily suggested.

“Yeah, it was. But if I didn’t move, I wouldn’t be here now; so, I’m grateful for that.” She admitted, lifting their conjoined hands and pressing a feather light kiss to them.

“I moved around a lot as a kid, my mom’s job got her posted everywhere so I never fit in.” Emily sighed sadly.

“I’m sorry, that must’ve sucked.” Lucy offered and Emily nodded.

“Yeah it did. But we had to do what Ambassador Prentiss wanted, never mind the cost. Christmas became about publicity, rather than family. My birthdays were awful every year and I felt like I couldn’t be a real kid.”

“And that’s why you hate politics?” 

“That’s why I hate politics.” She confirmed. 

“I’m sorry. I can’t even imagine how hard that must’ve been.” Lucy admitted, stroking her hand gently.

“It was hard… But it was worse when my mom was posted in Italy. I-… I was 15, and at that age you’ll do anything to fit in… I got pregnant,” She confessed, and Lucy leaned into her shoulder comfortingly, squeezing her hand again. “I went to talk to my priest, and he told me if I got an abortion then I wouldn’t be welcome at the church anymore. My friend, he encouraged me to go to the clinic – and I did, then he helped me go back to church afterwards.”

“Sounds like he is a very good friend,” Lucy noted, pressing a kiss to Emily’s jawline. “Thank you for telling me, that can’t have been easy.” 

“Thank you for listening instead of profiling me.” Emily joked and Lucy let out a soft laugh.

“Always.” Emily blushed as Lucy said that, sighing briefly in content as they both stayed closed to one another, their hands staying entwined.

“So… Are we telling people about us?” Lucy asked nervously asked. Emily sat silently in thought for a moment before shaking her head.

“As much as I’d love to shout from the rooftops about you, we haven’t even been on a date yet. And I’d like to keep you to myself for just a little while longer.” She answered, turning her head and then dropped a kiss on her forehead.

“You’re saying there will be a date?” Lucy teased.

“And many more after that I’d hope.” She replied.

“You can count on it.” Emily couldn’t help the grin that escaped on her face, pressing another kiss onto Lucy’s forehead and snuggling into her.

“What time are you heading back tonight?” She asked as she rested her head on top of hers.

“Trying to get rid of me already, Copeland?” She teased and Lucy shook her head with a laugh.

“No, just trying to work out how much time I have with you.” 

“All night if you want me.” She smiled.

“You’d stay again?” Lucy eyes lit up in awe.

“I’d stay every night.” Emily brought Lucy’s head up and pressed a delicate, slow kiss upon her lips. After they pulled apart, they laid down onto the bed and Lucy curled up into Emily’s side, her head in the crook of her neck and one of her legs in between hers. Emily wrapped her arms around her, one of them resting at the top of her head where she began stroking her hair.

“You comfortable?” She cooed as her, her fingertips grazing her scalp which got a hum of approval from Lucy.

“Very,” She murmured. “Just want to go home soon.” 

“You’ll be home, a few more days at most.” She reassured, dropping a kiss into her hair.

“I hate hospitals.” She huffed and Emily laughed softly.

“We’ll get you home soon, I promise.” Lucy pressed a kiss onto her collar bone, nuzzling into her neck but felt a yawn coming from Emily.

“Get some sleep, Em. You’re tired, I can tell.” Lucy mumbled against her skin, her fingertips grazing the exposed skin she could find. She nodded.

“Goodnight kiss?” She teased, glancing down to Lucy who rolled her eyes playfully but obliged, capturing Emily’s lips in a short kiss. Well, originally short kiss – but Emily didn’t want it to end there and teasingly bit down on her bottom lip, using her surprised gasp to invade her mouth with her tongue, exploring every inch she could. She pulled her closer, demanding more as her hands tugged at Lucy’s hair, eliciting a small moan to fall from Lucy’s lips. Lucy’s hands untucked Emily’s shirt from her jeans and her hands travelled underneath it, roaming the exposed skin. Emily pulled away very suddenly, her breathing heavy and her pupils large.

“Did I do something wrong?” Lucy immediately worried and Emily shook her head.

“No, but we have to stop now because if we go any further, I’m not going to be able to stop,” Her mouth was just above her ear. “And I want to keep you all to myself when you’re screaming my name.” She whispered; voice thick with lust. 

“Fuck, me, Em.” Lucy groaned, blushing a crimson red.

“Oh, I will be soon. Just not now.” She breathed, pressing a hot, open-mouthed kiss to her jaw and then her neck.

“Not what I meant.” Lucy stated, pulling away and swallowing hard to remove the thoughts that just filled her head with Emily’s words.

“No, but you know exactly what I meant.” She teased, pulling Lucy back in, cuddling her carefully. Lucy scoffed, rolling her eyes but nuzzling into Emily’s neck and letting her breathing even out. She glanced up and noticed Emily was nearly asleep.

“Night, Em.” She murmured against her skin.

“Night, baby.” She mumbled, her eyes fluttering shut.

“Oh, and before you sleep,” Lucy’s mouth was just above her ear. “Bold of you to assume you wouldn’t be screaming out mine.” 

A soft groan came from Emily’s mouth and she missed the satisfied smirk upon Lucy’s lips.


	12. home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> lucy finally leaves the hopsital, but going back brings up some painful memories for her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- LIGHT SMUT AT THE END OF THE CHAPTER -

It had been another five days before Lucy was finally allowed to leave the hospital. In those five days, every night Emily would come and spend the night with her and then leave in the morning in time for her dad to visit. The schedule worked well, not rising suspicion amongst the team as whenever they raised a point Rossi would cover for them or Emily would say she was just keeping her company. But that was all about to change.

She’d been begging the doctors to release her and practically climbing the walls to go home, she was sick of Chicago and wanted to go back home to Virginia, or even spend some time in Seattle with her dad; all she knew was that she didn’t want to be somewhere that brought up bad memories.

Of course, she was still quite sore, but the pain had dulled recently, and she was healing well so there was no reason that she couldn’t go home. The team was excited to bring her back, especially Emily.

Currently, Lucy was packing up the stuff that Emily had brought over and sat on the edge of the hospital bed she’d been staying in for the last week. She was dressed in a pair of grey sweatpants and a black t-shirt and was scrolling through her phone. During the week she’d been in hospital, Strauss had given her phone back, so she was catching up on everything and had access to team’s phone numbers. It felt good to have some kind of normality back, and she was so close to being back in her own apartment and in her own clothes again.

“Ready?” Emily peered into the room, a grin on her face.

“So ready. I can’t wait to sleep in my own bed.” Lucy sighed in bliss, getting off the bed and going to throw the duffel bag over her shoulders when Emily stopped her and picked it up.

“I’ll take it, I don’t want you to throw your stitches and then be stuck here for another week.” 

“My hero.” Lucy teased, pressing a chaste kiss to her cheek.

“Come on, the sooner you sign your discharge papers, the sooner we can go home.” She smiled. Lucy nodded, and followed Emily out of the room she’d been staying in and over to the nurses’ desk, where they handed her stacks of paperwork and Lucy made her way through it all, signing it and then was granted permission to leave but had to make a follow up appointment at an out-patient facility in Quantico. She agreed reluctantly, and finally they were in the elevator.

“How’re you feeling? Ready to go home?” Emily asked. Lucy’s hand found Emily’s and she squeezed it gently.

“Home is with you, so yeah, yeah I’m ready to go.” Emily blushed and quickly pressed a kiss to Lucy’s hair. 

“We’re going to make a stop at Chicago PD before we head back, Strauss wants to talk to you, and I think Elle wants to say goodbye too.” Emily told her as the elevator flew down the multiple levels.

“Ah, don’t think I’m in the clothes to wear for the office, Em.” Lucy joked and Emily rolled her eyes with a playful smile.

“That’s why I got your dad to drop some of your stuff from home off, it’s nothing major but it will hopefully make you feel more comfortable.” Lucy glanced over at her and smiled.

“You didn’t have to do that.” Emily shook her head.

“I know, but I wanted to.” That simple statement made Lucy’s heart clench with warmth and she leaned into Emily’s shoulder. She felt her breathing hitch, but a warm arm wrapped around her and kept her in the embrace, and then a pair of lips kissed her hair. As the elevator doors opened, they broke apart and headed to out to find Emily’s parked car, and she unlocked it, threw the duffel bag in the back and held out the other bag to Lucy.

“This is what your dad grabbed, a pair of jeans and a clean t-shirt. Should be okay, right?” She asked sheepishly. Lucy smiled at her and nodded, taking the bag from her hands.

“It’s perfect, thank you, Em.” Lucy pressed a sweet kiss to her cheeks, Emily blushed again and nodded, trying desperately to hide the colour on her cheeks.

“You can get changed in the back; I promise I won’t look.” She stated and Lucy laughed.

“Why don’t I believe you?” Emily faked a look of shock.

“Me? Whatever have I done to give off that impression?” Lucy smirked and eyed her up and down.

“I can name a couple things.” She flirted, and Emily’s eyes darkened for a moment before she shook her head.

“Get changed, Copeland.” She ordered and Lucy grinned, succeeding in her mission to rile Emily up. She could’ve said something more to Emily, but she knew now wasn’t the time and that they had a flight to catch, so she got into the backseats of the car and got changed into her pair of black skinny jeans and white t-shirt, before getting out and sitting next to Emily in the passenger seat.

“Ready to go?” She asked her, and Lucy nodded.

“Yep, let’s go.” And with that, Emily began driving off to the Chicago PD office. The drive between them was silent, the only noise coming from the car, but it wasn’t an awkward silence. It was comfortable. Every now and then when Emily went to change gear, she’d gently squeeze Lucy’s leg comfortingly but then go back to driving.

As they arrived at Chicago PD, Emily quickly checked nobody was looking before pressing a soft, chaste kiss to Lucy’s lips.

“Not that I’m complaining, but what was that for?” Lucy eyed her suspiciously, and Emily shrugged.

“Do I need an excuse to kiss you?” Emily replied and Lucy shook her head at her.

“No, not anymore.” Lucy stated before dropping a kiss on Emily’s lips, this one lingering longer than the last, her hand cupping Emily’s cheek but breaking apart after a few seconds

“I could get used to this.” Emily sighed blissfully, leaning into Lucy’s touch.

“I think I’m already starting to, I missed you last night.” Lucy admitted, the pink colour rising into her cheeks as she blushed.

“I missed you, too. I’m sorry I couldn’t stay.” Emily said sadly and Lucy shook her head, stroking Emily’s cheek tenderly.

“Don’t apologise, we can’t have the team getting too suspicious.” She teased and Emily laughed at her.

“It’s not like we’re being sly, babe. They’ll figure it out soon enough, but until then, I plan on keeping you to myself.” Lucy smiled at her, pressing another chaste kiss to her mouth.

“I am more than okay with that.” Emily grinned back at her, and they both fully broke apart and got out the SUV, going into the Police Department. As they walked through the bullpen, Lucy glanced over at the conference room where Strauss, Hotch and Elle stood talking together; but as soon as they saw Lucy they stopped talking. Both her and Emily entered the conference room, and they all stared at each other awkwardly before Strauss spoke.

“Copeland, how’re you feeling?” She questioned, eyeing her up and down which made Lucy suddenly feel very self-conscious.

“Good, ma’am.” Lucy kept it short, sensing something wasn’t quite right as the tension in the room was raised.

“I’ll cut to the chase. Rizzo isn’t talking, and he’s lawyered up. We need both you and Greenaway to go in there and convince him to cut a deal.” She announced. Emily’s eyes widened and she shook her head.

“That’s way too dangerous.” She stated.

“Copeland would be perfectly safe; we’d be behind the glass the entire time.” Hotch stated and Emily glared at him.

“And what happens when he gets out from his deal? Surely he’d be the first to try and hunt us both down.” Elle agreed with Emily.

“We’d make sure that wouldn’t happen. Both of you would be perfectly safe during this entire interrogation and afterwards.” Strauss spoke sternly.

“Do we have a choice?” Lucy questioned, and Strauss nodded in return.

“Of course, you don’t have to. But if we have any chance of putting away Gallo and Rizzo, we need evidence.” She said and Elle scoffed.

“What, Lucy getting beaten the shit out of by Gallo doesn’t count?”

“Apparently not.” Emily added quietly, getting a glare from both Hotch and Strauss. The room was deathly silent for a moment, both Elle and Lucy sharing a knowing glance together.

“I’ll do it.” Lucy sighed.

“Lucy, this is too dangerous-….” Emily started.

“I know it’s dangerous, but if this is the only shot we have of putting them both away then I need to use it. Otherwise this whole operation has been a waste of my time.” She explained, glancing at Emily with pleading eyes.

“I don’t like it.” Elle agreed with Emily.

“Elle, you don’t have to do it. I’ll go in there alone; chances are he’s more likely to open up to one of us rather than both of us.” Lucy told her and Emily shook her head.

“That’s worse. You need someone there to back you up.” She disagreed.

“She’ll have us on the outside. Copeland’s done multiple interrogations; she’ll be fine.” Hotch said, his voice coming across more comforting than stern. Lucy glanced over at Emily, who just shook her head at her and looked away – yeah, she was pissed off.

“Which room is he in?” She questioned.

“I’ll show you.” Strauss stated, and Lucy followed her out of the conference room with Emily, Elle and Hotch behind her. They headed into the room next to the interrogation room, staring through the window. Rizzo had his cuffs off and was sitting in silence next to his lawyer; looking rather smug.

“Take as long as you need. Try and get his lawyer out and bluff as much as you can.” Hotch ordered, and Lucy nodded before gazing over at Emily who wore a worried look on her face.

“You don’t have to do this,” Emily mouthed, her eyes pleading at her. “Please don’t.”

Lucy felt awful but shook her head and glanced at the door into the interrogation room.

“I’ll see what I can do.” She sighed and took a couple long strides over to the door and crept inside. As soon as she got inside, she felt Rizzo’s eyes stare at her and his smug grin got bigger.

“Ah, Summers! Or should I say Special Agent Copeland? Which do you prefer?” He greeted her. She rolled her eyes and sat down opposite him.

“I’m doing this because I’m actually a decent person and want to help you; so why don’t you make your lawyer disappear for a few minutes and let the adults talk?” She gritted her teeth and raised an eyebrow at his smug face. He stopped for a moment, peering at Lucy and his lawyer.

“I strongly advise you don’t-…” His lawyer started but Rizzo raised his hand.

“Go, I wanna see what she has to say,” He said, the lawyer went to argue but he raised an eyebrow at him. “Don’t test me. Go.” And with a glare and sigh, the lawyer left, and it was just Lucy and Rizzo in the room.

“Gallo thought he killed you, got a lovely view of you being put into an ambulance from the back of a cop car.” He smirked.

“His right hook isn’t as strong as it used to be then.” Lucy retorted, and he chuckled.

“You’ve still got fire, girl. It’s a shame you’re on the wrong side. You sure you don’t wanna switch? Unless all your buddies are outside watching.” He questioned.

“No, I’m on the right side. But my ‘buddies’ aren’t outside.” Lucy bluffed, and he glanced at the window next to them and nodded, believing her.

“So, what have you got to offer me?” He asked, suddenly intrigued. 

“Nothing. But we have everything against you; see with myself and my partner alive, you have no leverage. You’re going down, Rizzo, for a long time too.” She lied, and he eyed her suspiciously.

“You don’t have shit.” He declared.

“See that’s where you’re wrong. We have you on drug charges, we have you on running the underground ring, upon looking at your finances; we have you on fraud too. And I can bet you anything that we can find you as an accessory to your pal Calvin’s murder too.” She smirked at him, leaning back in her chair and crossing her arms.

“Bullshit, there’s no way you have any evidence.” He insisted.

“You wanna call my bluff? Be my guest, I bet you Imogen would love to see you from behind bars.” She spoke arrogantly, knowingly pushing his buttons. He erupted, jumping from his seat and trying to take a swing at her but Lucy caught it and pushed him back into his seat strongly, gritting her teeth and quirking her brow at him.

“And we’ll add an attempted attack on a federal agent onto those charges too. You’ll be inside for the rest of your life, Rizzo. That what you want?” She sat back down as he glared at her furiously.

The room stayed silent, before he broke.

“What do you want from me?” He asked. Lucy nodded at the window and went to the door to receive a pencil and pad of paper from Hotch before throwing it down in front of him.

“Everything you have on Gallo. And by everything, I mean fucking everything. If there is an ounce of bullshit on that page, we’ll find it and this deal is off.” She ordered.

“And what am I getting out of this? Gallo will know I snitched, and I’ll be dead as soon as I’m in a jail cell, he has contacts.” He stated, a bit of fear in his eyes and tone of voice.

“We can make sure that won’t happen. But in order to do that, we need everything you have. The more you include, there is more help we can offer you.” Her voice softened a small amount. 

“Will I be able to see my daughter?” He requested.

“We can try. There are no promises until you’ve put down every contact in that ring, and everything you know about Gallo’s involvement, including the murders of Calvin and Agent Robson.” She replied.

“I swear I had nothing to do with those. Calvin was my buddy; I would’ve never hurt him.” He said sadly.

“But you helped clean up, didn’t you?” She guessed, and he nodded.

“Gallo would’ve killed me too if I didn’t.” He replied.

“Write everything down, Rizzo. Once we have that information, we can see what we can do to help you.” She suggested, and he nodded and began scribbling down as many details as he could remember. She waited for about fifteen minutes until he’d filled out three pages and he handed them to her.

“That’s everything I know, I swear.” He promised.

“I’ll let your lawyer back in, and then I’ll talk to my people and we can sort out a deal.” She said, and he nodded.

“Please, just let me see my little girl.” He pleaded. She nodded.

“I’ll do the best I can.” And with that, Lucy left the room and handed the pad to Strauss who flipped through it, before handing it to Hotch.

“Is it enough?” Elle questioned. 

“If he agrees to testify in court, this is enough to put Gallo away. If any of the other members of the ring agree, we can get them to testify too.” Strauss settled, satisfied with the information.

“I’ll go and make the deal. Good work, Copeland.” Hotch said before following the lawyer into the interrogation room. Lucy braved a glance at Emily, who immediately looked away from her and her heart dropped.

“You can go now, Copeland. Go home, get some rest. You’re off for at least two weeks, and no field work until you’re deemed medically fit.” Strauss declared, and Lucy nodded.

“Yes, ma’am.” Lucy agreed, glancing at Emily again, almost begging her to look at her, but her eyes wouldn’t budge from staring at the door. Lucy internally sighed and then walked out the room, looking behind her and seeing that Elle was following her, but Emily wasn’t. They walked to the conference room and Lucy leaned on the table, a sad frown on her face.

“She’ll come around. You did great, Luce.” Elle said, her warm voice trying to reassure her. Lucy sighed and shrugged but stayed silent on the matter.

“So… You’re heading back to Quantico?” Elle asked a little awkwardly. 

“Yeah.” Lucy’s voice was quiet, defeated.

“I’m staying in Chicago. So, this is going to be it for a while.” She came over and leaned on the table next to Lucy.

“This is going to be weird. We’ve been living together for the past months, now I have to go back to my old life like nothing happened.” Elle patted her shoulder and Lucy leaned over and rested her head on it.

“Nobody is expecting you to go back to how things were. In fact, I can bet you that they’re all expecting you to be different. But I’m not going to lie, I’ll miss seeing your face every day.” Elle admitted.

“I’ll miss you too. You promise me you’ll stay in contact?” Lucy straightened herself up, leaving Elle’s comfortable shoulder.

“I promise.” Elle agreed. Lucy eyed her up and down and then raised her hand.

“Pinky swear?” She deadpanned. Elle grinned and nodded, raising her own hand and both of them conjoining their fingers together.

“Stay safe, please? I don’t want to lose you again.” Lucy admitted as their fingers dropped.

“You’re not going to, Luce. You better do the same, I don’t want a call from Hotch or Strauss saying you’ve been shot, stabbed, beaten or worse.” Elle shuddered at the thought.

“I will.” Lucy confirmed. They both glanced at each other before Elle rapidly pulled Lucy into a tight but careful embrace, stroking her back gently. Lucy felt her eyes tear up, and maybe even a few tears slip down onto her cheeks. During the embrace, she felt her t-shirt get slightly damp; Elle was crying too. They pulled back after a long while, both of them wiping their tears away.

“Go be great, Copeland. They need you.” Elle gestured to Hotch, Strauss and Emily watching their exchange.

“Don’t get yourself killed, Greenaway.” Lucy smiled sadly at her, before getting up and walking to the door.

“Luce!” Elle called, and she looked back as her foot was in the doorway. “I love you.” Her voice became small as if this was the last time, she’d say it.

Lucy smiled at her before leaving the door and quickly wiping the remaining tears away. She wandered over to where Hotch, Emily and Strauss stood.

“We agreed to a deal. Rizzo will be in a low-security prison with protection and will be able to see his daughter with supervision,” Hotch told and Lucy nodded. “The rest of the team are at the jet now, go with Prentiss and we’ll meet you there in an hour. We have a few loose ends to tie.”

Lucy peered at Emily who was now looking at her, but she had a masked expression on her face. It was better than a few minutes ago, at least she was looking at her.

“You did great work, Copeland.” Strauss praised. Once again, she nodded and chose not to speak. 

“See you in an hour.” Hotch said and him and Strauss broke off and went over to the other lead detective in the case, leaving Lucy and Emily alone in an unbearable awkward silence, both of them staring at each other.

“You okay?” Emily broke it, her tone giving no clue to her feelings.

“Yeah, fine.” Lucy replied.

“Let’s go then.” She stated and began walking off, Lucy trailing behind her as if she was a disgruntled kid being scolded by its mother. As they reached the car, they both climbed in silently and Emily began to drive off.

The car ride was unbearable, the tension in the air so thick Lucy felt like she couldn’t breathe, but she stayed silent and watched the scenery as Emily drove down the roads of Chicago to the airport where the jet was waiting. They often glanced over at each other, Lucy noticing that Emily was nervously tapping the steering wheel, and Emily noticing that Lucy looked as if she’d break like a shard of glass being dropped on a concrete floor.

As they reached the airport, both of them climbed out the car but Lucy twisted herself wrong and let out a hiss of pain as she landed on the tarmac, doubling over. Emily’s head popped up from her side of the car as she heard it.

“You okay?” She questioned; her façade dropped for a moment where she seemed concerned.

“Yeah, all good,” Lucy lied, gritting her teeth as she took a deep breath to try and get rid of the pain. Emily raised an eyebrow at her and took a step forward to come closer, but Lucy waved her off as she stood up straight. “I’m good, Emily. Don’t worry.” 

“If you say so…” Emily mumbled under her breath, clearly not believing Lucy. Once Lucy felt like she regained control of her body a few moments later, she went to the trunk of the car and grabbed one of the duffel bags whilst Emily grabbed the other and her own.

“I can carry my own stuff, Em.” Lucy sighed.

“After that, I’m not sure.” She replied, her voice coming across sterner that she clearly meant when her eyes widened. Lucy shook her head and chose not to respond, walking away from the trunk and going towards the jet; leaving Emily behind.

She walked onto the jet and saw a spot next to Reid and opposite Garcia free, so she put her bag away and took a seat with them, which they were thrilled over.

“Hey, Pumpkin! You ready to go home?” Garcia asked sweetly as Lucy produced a fake, tired smile and nodded.

“Yeah.” She replied shortly.

“You okay?” Reid asked, turning his head from his book in concern.

“I’m fine, just tired.” Lucy replied sleepily. Reid smiled and patted his shoulder and Lucy fell upon it gently and closed her eyes. 

“Sleep well.” Reid smiled down at her and returned to his book. Lucy kept her eyes closed and heard several footsteps come onto the jet, and then got hit by the strong scent of Emily’s perfume as she walked past her. She then felt eye’s burning into her head, so opened one eye and noticed Emily staring directly at her from her seat next to JJ. She at least looked apologetic, but Lucy just closed her eyes. And just after they took off, she fell into a very dreamless sleep.

Lucy felt herself being kicked from next to her and opened her eyes to find Reid smiling at her.

“We’ve landed. You okay?” He asked kindly.

“Yeah, thanks for waking me.” Lucy replied, her voice a little bit deeper from the sleep.

“I think Emily’s got your stuff and she’s going to drive you back to your place. That okay?” He told her, Lucy internally sighed but put on a fake smile and nodded before stretching and getting up from the chair carefully, not putting anymore strain on her stitches.

She got off the jet, followed by Garcia and Reid who were chatting about a series of different things but that was all white noise to Lucy. The dreamless sleep hadn’t really done much for her except make her more tired than she’d felt all day, and all she wanted was to go home, curl up in bed and sleep into next week.

“Hey, come on. Let’s get you home.” Emily was suddenly behind her ear and speaking so softly that she almost forgot what had happened that morning. Instead of arguing, she nodded and followed Emily to her car and got into the passenger seat. As Emily sat down in the driver’s seat, she leaned over and squeezed Lucy’s thigh gently, her face twisted in concern.

Lucy didn’t glance up, instead she turned her head and began staring out the window. Emily sighed in defeat, taking her hand away and put the car into reverse and drove out of the parking lot. Once again, the tension was unbearable and both of them sat in silence the whole drive. They arrived at Lucy’s apartment complex and they both climbed out the car. As both of them got to the trunk, they were forced to look at one another. Neither of them spoke, Emily opened the trunk silently and grabbed Lucy’s bags and then they both went inside and got into the elevator. 

As they got onto the floor that Lucy’s apartment was on, Emily handed her the spare key that she’d kept and Lucy went up to her front door, unlocked it and stepped inside. It was exactly how she remembered, unfortunately bare and unbelievably quiet. But it was home, well kind of home. Emily stepped behind her and put the bags on the floor, watching Lucy carefully as she scanned the apartment.

“Everything has been cleaned now, they did it the day after you left.” She told Lucy, who just nodded, continuing to scan.

“I remember it being less bare than this.” Lucy’s voice wavered a small amount.

“It’s been a few months, Luce.” She supported; her voice soft as she reached out to hold her hand which she accepted.

“It’s just weird, I guess. I got so used to Chicago, sometimes I even thought I wouldn’t be coming back, you know?” She leaned against the wall by the door to her lounge.

“It’s only natural to feel weird after coming back from being undercover. It’ll feel wrong for a bit, but you’ll adjust.” Emily tried to reassure her, gently squeezing her hand. Lucy nodded; her eyes fixed on the walls of her apartment.

“Look, I’m going to go and leave you to re-adjust. Call me if you need anything, okay?” Emily stated, pressing a lingering kiss to Lucy’s cheek.

“Yeah.” Lucy replied, her voice feeling tight. Emily nodded, and left, shutting the door behind her.

And then it came.

Lucy slid down on the wall and caught her knees with her hands and curled up into herself. Everything hit her at once, the hospital, the interrogation, the whole undercover operation and now coming back home, she couldn’t stop the tears if she tried. Her sobs were silent, the tears almost choking her as they continually streamed down her face. 

She stayed like this for what felt like hours, crying until she had nothing left to cry. She debated calling Emily, apologising before begging her to come and hold her just for a few minutes, but she didn’t want to seem weak. And she wasn’t sure if she’d even come, they’d barely spoken since the interrogation and Lucy didn’t want to hear the dreaded words of Emily admitting that it wasn’t working anymore. So instead, she picked herself up and dragged herself to her bedroom, got changed into a pair of leggings and her comfiest hoodie and then came back downstairs and curled into her sofa in her lounge. 

Lucy pulled all the blankets over herself, constricting her breathing as much as she could and switched on the TV, leaving it on as white noise as she laid there. She watched the TV but wasn’t picking up any sound. Her thoughts were far too loud for her to focus on anything, noticing that some stray tears were still running down her cheeks.

Hours later, it was 11pm and she’d not moved from her position. Her phone had buzzed several times, but she never found the strength to move. She couldn’t fall asleep, and she’d finally felt the tears stop. She lifted herself up and checked her phone, she had a few messages from Garcia, two from Reid and one from Emily which she sent a few hours ago asking if she was okay. 

Lucy couldn’t find it in herself to reply, so took her phone and herself upstairs and stared at her bed. The covers looked warm, soft and inviting but Lucy couldn’t find a single reason why she wanted to sleep, but knew if she didn’t, she would regret it in the morning. So, she opened up her duvet and climbed in, settling herself on her side that didn’t ache with stitches and squeezed her eyes shut. It took some tossing and turning, but eventually she fell asleep.

She suddenly found herself on the outside of the fighting ring beside Elle, who was smirking at her when they brought out the next opponent. Of course, it was Gallo, and he was grinning from ear to ear. He danced around the ring, the crowd roaring in appreciation for him and Lucy felt her blood run cold and sweat begin to drip from her brow.

“And the next opponent, Special Agent Emily Prentiss!” The announcer screamed, and the crowd booed as she entered the ring but was already bloody and bruised. Lucy felt herself scream out, but no noise came out as she felt her arms being held back. The familiar scent of cigarettes and orange hit her noise and she immediately knew who it was.

“Come on, Summers. She’s the bitch who’s been snooping around here, she deserves it.” His voice was low and gravelly, and her skin shivered as she continued to cry out but yet again, she didn’t make any noise.

“Kill her, Gallo!” Elle yelled excitedly from beside her, a sadistic smirk on her face.

“Elle…. No!” Lucy mouthed as tears were dripping down her face as Gallo began swinging left, right and centre at Emily, leaving her crumpled on the floor. The whole ring was cheering, screaming and shouting but all Lucy could do was focus on Emily’s body as she took all of his brutal hits.

Emily was screaming out in pain, begging him to stop. Her eyes caught Lucy’s and tears began to fall from her eyes.

“Lucy, please!! Help!!” She screamed. Lucy tried her hardest to break free from Rizzo’s grasp, but he held her steady and forced her to watch Emily’s bones get crunched and broken in every way possible. Lucy watched her eyes shut as she passed out in pain, and once again the crowd screamed out, Elle and Rizzo yelling out in glee beside her.

“Gallo has won again!!” The announcer yelled excitedly, and the crowd roared once again but all Lucy could do is stare at Emily’s empty face as the bruising came out and the blood trickled from her nose and mouth.

The crowd began to file out, shouting Gallo’s name as they followed him to the changing rooms. Rizzo let go of Lucy and she shoved past them all to get to Emily’s body. She immediately checked for a pulse and cupped her cheek in her hands.

“Em, please… Please wake up.” She begged, her mouth finally making a faint, begging sound. Emily remained unmoving, her breathing getting shallower.

“Please stay with me, Em. Don’t go.” She sobbed as she picked up Emily’s body in her arms and rocked her backwards and forwards.

Her eyes suddenly opened, and she stared at Lucy.

“Em, oh thank god-….” Lucy started.

“You could’ve saved me; you could’ve helped me. You left me.” She stated angrily.

“Em, please, I tried- “She couldn’t stop the tears pouring out her eyes.

“You did nothing. I hate you.” And with that her breathing stopped and she fell limp in Lucy’s arms.

“No please… Emily…” She cried out. 

Lucy shot upright, tears streaming down her face. She touched her brow with her hand and felt it slick with sweat, and her fingertips trembling. She hadn’t experienced a nightmare like this is in nearly a year, she’d almost forgotten what the sensation felt like. Even though she’d woken up from the horrible nightmare, she could still feel the overpowering sense of terror, it felt like she was stuck in this never ending cycle; the nightmare replaying in her head as if it was still going and her mind filled with these thoughts that she couldn’t stop.

“It wasn’t real, it wasn’t real.” Lucy kept repeating it as she pulled her knees towards herself and began shivering in her cold sweat. She glanced over at her phone that was plugged in on her bedside table and thought about calling Emily. But then she noticed the time on the clock – 2:32am.

“I can’t call her… She’s still mad at me, and she’ll hate me for waking her up.” She whispered as she pulled herself as close as she could, rocking backwards and forwards to try and stop the feeling of panic.

“If I call, she’ll think I’m weak. And she won’t want to be with me…” She mumbled under her breath, trying to control her breathing as it was rapid with her heartbeat. Her arms began to shake uncontrollably as the cold really set in and sweat began to drip down from her brow as she continued to suffer.

A sudden vibration from the bedside table startled her, and she peered over at her phone. At first, she thought it was her brain screwing with her, but ten seconds later it buzzed again. Slowly with her shaking arm, she grasped her phone and checked it. 

EMILY – I can’t sleep.

EMILY – You’re probably not awake, sorry for bothering you.

She felt her breathing start to even out as she saw her name pop up on the screen and she felt herself tapping a response before her brain could stop her from doing it.

LUCY – I’m up.

She nervously sent the message and placed her phone face down, waiting for a response. Seconds later her phone buzzed again, and thankfully Emily had responded quickly.

EMILY – You slept since the jet? X

Lucy found herself almost smiling at the kiss she’d sent at the end, and the concern over the message.

LUCY – Kind of x 

EMILY – I thought you spent all afternoon sleeping? Garcia texted me saying you hadn’t responded to her or Reid x

LUCY – It’s complicated x

EMILY – You’re not okay, are you? 

LUCY – I’m fine, Em. Please don’t worry about me.

Lucy put her phone down and waited for a response. After a few seconds she was a bit confused, and after a few minutes, she sighed sadly – figuring that Emily had gotten to sleep or she’d just chosen to not reply. Lucy wasn’t used to this worrying from a girlfriend, every girl she dated, she never showed her weak side. She’d always be emotionally strong for them during their hard times, and never asked for help when she was going through hers. It was hard adjusting to this.

She pulled the charger cord out of her phone and dragged herself out of bed, deciding after that nightmare it wasn’t going to be possible to sleep again. So, she ventured downstairs into her lounge and curled up on the sofa once again. Thankfully, the tears had stopped but it left her eyes feeling raw and like they were bruised from the fights again, but her fingers continued to tremble. 

She sat there for a while, occasionally checking her phone to see if there was a response from Emily but it never came. She leaned back into the sofa.

“I’ve screwed it up, and it’s barely begun.” She mumbled to herself, resting her head on her softest cushion and staring up at the ceiling. 

But then there was a quiet, gentle knock. Lucy could’ve sworn it wasn’t real, but then it came again, a little louder the next time. She slowly got up and crept over to the door before opening, peering around it and was met with Emily’s face. 

The door creaked open as she fully revealed herself from behind the door and Emily’s face dropped before taking long strides and pulling Lucy into her arms in a strong embrace. Lucy was slightly shocked at first but melted into her embrace quickly and burrowed her head into the crook of Emily’s neck. Emily kicked the door shut behind her and continued holding Lucy close, stroking her back gently.

As they pulled away, Emily took Lucy’s hand and pulled her into the lounge. She sat down onto the sofa and pulled Lucy on top of she so she was straddling her, and her hand came up and tangled in her hair whilst she stared at Lucy’s face.

“What happened?” She spoke so softly it made Lucy’s heart clench in warmth.

“Nothing major, just been a rough day. I’m okay, Em.” She replied gently, leaning into Emily’s touch.

“Something else is bothering you, please talk to me.” She pleaded, pressing her forehead against Lucy’s. Lucy took a deep breath and sighed gently, pulling herself away to face Emily.

“I had a nightmare, okay. That’s all.” She mumbled.

“How bad?” Emily questioned. Lucy shrugged.

“It wasn’t too bad, I’m okay.” She replied again. Emily’s eyes softened and her heart broke as she took in Lucy’s appearance again. Her eyes were bloodshot and watery, her hair damp, and her figure still shaking.

“You’re still shaking, Luce,” She noted, staring at her fingers and then back up at her face. Lucy didn’t say anything, and Emily just sighed again. “Look we don’t have to talk about this, but I think you’ll feel better if you do. But I’m not going to force you to, okay?” She whispered gently, pulling Lucy back into an embrace and closing her eyes as she hugged her back tightly.

They stayed wrapped up in that embrace for some minutes, neither one of them letting go of each other. Lucy could smell the floral scent from Emily’s shampoo and it instantly comforted her as she snuggled closer into her neck. Emily still couldn’t ignore the amount of worry she was feeling. How long had she been like this? God, she felt awful for leaving earlier, she knew she should’ve stayed.

“I’m so sorry for leaving you.” She whispered, inhaling the sweet scent of the leftover perfume on Lucy’s neck. Lucy pulled back and shook her head.

“No, it’s not your fault. None of this is your fault,” She said, her hand coming up and pulling the stray hairs from Emily’s face. “The nightmare would’ve happened, whether you were here or not.” 

“I’m sorry about earlier. I shouldn’t have gotten mad at you; you were just doing your job.” Emily admitted and Lucy shook her head.

“It’s okay, Em. You have nothing to apologise for.”

“Still, I shouldn’t have left. I should’ve been here for you.” She sighed.

“I’m glad you weren’t,” Lucy admitted sadly. “It wasn’t exactly pretty.” 

“What happened?” Emily asked again, hoping she’d be able to coax something out of her. Lucy sighed and looked up.

“…. I was back in the underground ring; except I wasn’t fighting. I was on the outside, and I had Elle next to me and Rizzo behind me. The crowd was so loud, it was like it was all real again?... And then they brought out Gallo who was fighting, and –“ She paused to breathe and Emily cupped her cheek, stroking it gently, urging her to continue. “They brought out the other fighter, and er-… It was you. But you were already hurt. I tried to get to you, but Rizzo held me back and I watched you get hurt, over and over again. Once Gallo had finally finished, everyone left and then I got to you, but it was too late. Your final words to me was that it was my fault, and that you hated me. That’s when I woke up.” She finished and glanced up at Emily who was just staring at her. “I feel so stupid getting upset, it was just a dream – but it felt so real. When I woke up it wouldn’t stop replaying in my mind.” She admitted, feeling her eyes begin to water again. Emily didn’t speak but instead leaned backwards onto the sofa and pulled Lucy into a tight embrace, stroking her back again comfortingly.

“It’s not stupid. You know I would never, ever blame you for something like that, right? And I could never hate you,” She whispered into her ear and she felt Lucy nod into her neck. “Look at me, please.” They both pulled away and stared at one another. “I don’t care if we’ve been screaming at each other all day in an argument, or if we agreed to take some space from one another – I need you to know that if you ever feel like this again that you call me, okay? I don’t want you going through this alone.” She said seriously, and Lucy nodded again. “Whatever time it is, I don’t care. I just want to make sure you’re safe… I care about you so much, Luce.” Her voice was so low but soft at the same time that it made Lucy’s heart melt.

“I just didn’t want to seem weak by calling.” She confessed sheepishly.

“You’re not weak. You’re probably one of the strongest people I know.” Emily brushed aside her statement.

“Really?” Lucy’s voice was so small but surprised. Emily smiled and nodded, before pulling her back into her chest. Lucy nuzzled into the crook of her neck and sighed contently, breathing in Emily’s shampoo once again before pulling back and facing her.

Emily glanced down to Lucy’s lips and back up to her eyes a few times before making the ultimate decision. She captured her lips in a slow but passionate kiss, taking her time but moving her lips delicately against hers. Lucy’s arms wound their way around Emily’s neck whilst Emily’s grasped at her waist. Gently, Lucy bit down on Emily’s lip, begging for entrance, she granted it and she found herself exploring Emily’s mouth, basking in the muffled moans she was producing as her tongue traced her mouth carefully; mapping out every detail. Emily’s hands found themselves working their way under her hoodie and t-shirt and roaming up and down Lucy’s soft, pale skin, making her breathing hitch and her skin shiver at the sensation. 

Emily pulled back but dipped straight into Lucy’s neck, pressing hot, open-mouthed kisses into it and then finding a spot on her collar bone and biting down, and then soothing it with her tongue – making Lucy moan out.

“God…” Her breath was hot in Emily’s ear and she smirked, gazing back up and kissing her again, this time gaining full control. Her hands roamed her skin and she licked Lucy’s bottom lip tenderly and she moaned at the feeling again, letting Emily’s tongue dominate her mouth, leaving her defenceless against her attack; all Lucy could do was whimper in response and tug gently at Emily’s hair which made her more determined to get a reaction. She broke them apart again, only to tug at Lucy’s hoodie and eye her carefully – asking her permission. Lucy stared at her for a moment before grabbing her hoodie and taking it off carefully, discarding her t-shirt whilst she was at it; leaving her in the blue sports bra she’d been wearing. Emily stroked the skin on her stomach where the bruising was still fading.

“God, you’re so fucking beautiful.” Emily noted, her eyes darting to see every bit of skin on display before re-attaching her lips to Lucy’s neck who just moaned and writhed under her touch again. Emily knew Lucy wouldn’t be happy with the results in the morning with her neck marked, but tonight she wanted people to know that Lucy was hers, and hers alone.

“Too many clothes...” Lucy breathed out, her hands touching Emily’s t-shirt she’d thrown on to come over. Emily pulled away for a moment and cocked her head, teasingly.

“You or me, kitten?” She purred and she watched as Lucy’s pupils went dark, smirking at the desired response she got before pulling her own t-shirt off – leaving her in a black, lacy bra.

“Better.” Lucy’s voice was strangled as she leaned down and started pressing her own kisses against Emily’s neck before biting down just below her earlobe.

“Luce…” She moaned out at the sensation and Lucy became the one who was smirking as her lips trailed from her neck, to her collar bone and to the bra constricting her breasts. Her eyes glanced up at Emily’s who smiled down in response to her silent request.

“Go ahead, kitten.” The nickname stuck, and Lucy rolled her eyes at the arrogance in her voice before unpinning the bra and throwing across the room. Her eyes raked over her now naked chest, and she continued trailing kisses around her breasts, before attaching her mouth to her left nipple, swirling it around in her mouth – causing a string of moans to leave Emily’s lips and her other hand came up and tenderly caressed the other one, occasionally squeezing and causing a curse to fly from Emily’s mouth as she did it.

“A little less smug now, Em?” She spoke after her mouth had detached from her nipple. Emily’s eyes opened and she stared down at Lucy, her pupils blown out in pure lust. Instead of responding, her hands went straight to Lucy’s sports bra and tugged it over her head before capturing one of her nipples in her mouth – causing her to cry out as she nipped it gently.

“Fuck, Em.” She groaned, her hips rolling at the sensation and Emily pulled away for a moment with a smirk.

“Such a dirty mouth. Didn’t know you had it in you, Copeland.” She teased, before turning her attention to Lucy’s breasts and kissing, nipping and sucking them – causing a string of moans, groans and whimpers to come falling out of Lucy’s mouth. Emily pulled away, her hands coming down to Lucy’s sides and tracing circles into her hip bones and then dropping a little bit lower to tease her even more before pressing a chaste kiss to her mouth and moving her hands up.

“I think we should stop here.” She whispered and Lucy groaned out.

“Why?” Her breathing was hot, heavy and intoxicating to Emily.

“Because you’re still upset, and I don’t want you to regret this.” She replied, her hands coming up to her hair and stroking the stray hairs out of her face.

“I would never regret a night with you, Emily Prentiss.” She purred and Emily’s eyes widened again, a burst of electricity shooting through her body, but she tried to focus.

“You have to stop, baby.” She husked out.

“Why? We both want this.” She replied, pressing another hot kiss to the spot on her neck she’d left a decent sized bite on. Emily breathed out carefully and then decided her course of action.

“I want you so badly, but I don’t think this is a good idea right now whilst you’re still upset,” She whispered gently into her ear. “And besides, I don’t want a bad night to be the reason I take you on this couch, I want there to be a good reason. A really good reason.” Lucy swallowed hard as Emily nipped her earlobe and then pressed a kiss to her jaw.

“You’re right, but this sucks.” She muttered, and Emily let out a laugh.

“Next time, baby.” She swore, pressing a slow, closed-mouth kiss to her lips before pulling back.

“I can’t be the only one who can’t wait, right?” She mumbled and Emily laughed again before shaking her head.

Lucy got off Emily’s lap and proceeded to pick up her bra, t-shirt and hoodie she’d discarded and give Emily her bra and t-shirt as well, putting her clothes back on before letting out a yawn.

“You tired, babe?” Emily questioned and Lucy nodded, rubbing her eyes gently. “Come on, upstairs with you.” Emily put on her clothes and got up, tugging her gently to go with her.

“I don’t want to sleep,” Lucy admitted. Emily’s brows furrowed in concern. “I’m scared of the nightmare coming back, I don’t ever want to relive that.” 

“I’m staying until you fall asleep. Sound good?” She offered, and Lucy thought for a moment before nodding her head. Emily took the first steps upstairs, dragging a very tired Lucy behind her and they both settled on her bed.

“There’s some sweatpants in the bottom draw of my dresser, get comfy. It’s the least I can offer.” She mumbled as she settled under the covers. Emily smiled and nodded, getting up from the bed quickly and grabbing a pair of black sweatpants in the drawers and changing out of the jeans she’d worn over to Lucy’s. As she changed, she could feel a pair of eyes roam her body.

“Are you checking me out as I change?” She questioned.

“What? You have a gorgeous body.” Lucy stated as if it were obvious which made Emily laugh again as she crawled into the bed next to her. Lucy rolled closer and burrowed her head into Emily’s neck, and Emily wrapped her arms around her body and put her leg in-between hers.

“Goodnight, baby. Sleep well.” Emily said in a hushed whisper.

“Night, Em.” She breathed out, and she was gone immediately. Emily decided to stay for a little bit longer, finding herself more comfortable in the bed and more at awe of the girl emitting the quietist snores in front of her. 

Truthfully, she didn’t want to go home to an empty bed when she could stay right here and hold her the whole night, but they hadn’t spoken about her staying and she wasn’t sure that Lucy wanted her to.

Just as she thought that, she felt Lucy’s head move gently and press a kiss to her clothed chest.

“Stay. I can hear you thinking about it.” Her voice was so thick with sleep, Emily wasn’t sure she was even conscious, but decided to pull her closer and close her eyes – letting all of Lucy’s smells invade her nose and relax her immediately. Soon enough, she felt herself drift off as she kept her arms wrapped firmly around her.


	13. sharing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the morning after the night before, and emily and lucy begin to get more comfortable around each other

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey guys, sorry for a delay on updating, with the uk going into lockdown i had to move back to uni a lot quicker than anticipated and i took a break over christmas to recharge. hope you all had a good christmas and new year, and hopefully you'll enjoy the new update <3

The first thing Lucy noticed when she woke up was the overwhelming scent of Emily in her room. To begin with, she thought she was dreaming but as she stretched out, she felt another body holding her as tightly as possible, their leg thrown over hers. She glanced up from her position and saw Emily was still fast asleep, unmoved from where Lucy last remembered her being. She peered down her neck and noticed an array of hickeys trailing from her neck downwards.

She turned over from Emily’s embrace and grabbed her phone from the bedside table, glancing at the time – 10:49am. She already had a couple notifications from a worried Garcia. Lucy decided it was best to type out a quick text message to explain.

LUCY – Hey, sorry I didn’t reply yesterday. I was having a rough time, but I’m okay. I’ll call you later xx

As she placed the phone back down onto the bedside table, she felt Emily’s arms circle around her waist and pull her flush against her. Lucy felt a smile creep on her face; she snuggled into her embrace, inhaling all the scents from Emily once again and feeling her head get light.

“Good morning.” Emily’s eyes were still closed, her voice was thick with sleep, but she sweetly pressed a kiss on the top of Lucy’s head.

“Morning, you sleep okay?” Lucy asked, nuzzling into Emily’s marked neck.

“Shouldn’t I be asking you that?” She opened one eye and looked her up and down suspiciously. Lucy let out a singular laugh and shrugged. “No nightmare?” 

“No nightmare.” She confirmed and watched Emily smile at her.

“What time is it?” She questioned.

“Nearly 11.” Lucy replied, then humming in content as Emily began to stroke her hair gently. 

“We slept in.” She noted.

“We did.” Lucy agreed.

“And I didn’t think I was going to sleep over.” She stated, a hint of amusement in her voice.

“But you did, and I’m very glad you did,” Lucy’s arms wound around Emily’s chest as she curled into her delicately. “I could get used to waking up next to you here.” Emily’s chest swelled with warmth.

“I think I’m already used to waking up next to you.” She admitted. 

“Look at us becoming every gross couple ever,” Lucy joked, and Emily laughed, shoving her away lightly. “Wait till we get to the stage we’re obsessed with each other, and can’t keep our hands off each other, that’s a good stage.” Emily continued to laugh as she dragged herself out of the bed, grabbing Lucy’s hand and pulling her up with her, then wrapping her arms around her waist; resting her head on top of hers.

“I feel like we might already be at that stage,” She grinned, spinning her around so they were now facing one another. Her eyes roamed Lucy’s body and she caught site of the purpling bruise on her collar bone and feeling a sense of pride as she looked at it.

“What?” Lucy was immediately suspicious and threw her hoodie off, glancing down at her neck and gasping in shock whilst Emily admired her with a smirk. “Oh yeah you can smirk all you want, wait till you see yours…” Emily frowned at her and stepped over to the mirror hanging on the wall, glancing at the different shades across her neck.

“Fuck, Luce!” She groaned as she traced them all with her fingertips.

“They’re not even that bad.” Lucy teased, standing behind her in the mirror.

“How am I going to hide this from the team?” She sighed, sitting on the edge of the bed.

“Well a lot of foundation, I’ve heard a turtleneck comes in handy too.” Lucy was enjoying every moment of this, a very satisfied smile on her face.

“Seriously? This is really gonna suck… God, Morgan is going to know and keep asking questions and I don’t think I’ll be able to lie and –“ Lucy cut her rambling off but coming to sit down on her lap, wrapping her legs around her waist and placing a short but sweet kiss on her lips.

“It’ll be fine, babe. The only one who will know is Rossi, and I know he’ll have your back, so you’re good.” She reassured, her hands running up and down Emily’s arms, stroking the skin gently.

“You’re very lucky you don’t have to come into work for the next two weeks at least.” Emily burrowed her head in the crook of Lucy’s neck with a groan and Lucy let out a soft laugh.

“Yeah, well that’ll teach us for acting like horny teenagers.” She noted, and Emily snorted.

“Neither one of us were complaining last night…” 

“That’s true, and I’m definitely not complaining now.” Lucy smiled as Emily lifted her head away from her neck. 

“Neither am I.” Emily agreed and claimed Lucy’s lips in an open-mouthed kiss, sucking on her bottom lip and gaining access to her mouth; invading it with her warm tongue. It began to get heated quickly, both of them grasping at each other eagerly and their hands wandering their bodies before Lucy pulled back, panting.

“We need to stop unless you want more hickeys to hide.” She warned, her hands tangled in Emily’s hair. She groaned and nodded. Lucy climbed off Emily’s lap and got to her feet, still a little bit out of breath as Emily followed her up.

“You hungry?” Lucy questioned, and Emily eyed her up and down with a smirk which made Lucy snort and shake her head. “No, the other kind of hungry, Prentiss. Jesus.” Emily laughed and shrugged.

“I could eat,” She replied.

“Well considering I haven’t done any grocery shopping in about five months, the chances of me having any suitable food is slim,” Lucy thought for a moment before continuing. “We have three options, we can either go out and get food somewhere, we can order takeout, or we can go get groceries and I can cook you something here.” 

“You cook?” Emily couldn’t hide the surprise on her face.

“Yep. My mum taught me and my older brother, and then Gideon taught me a little bit too,” Lucy answered, a remembering smile on her face. “It won’t be anything fancy.”

“It wouldn’t need to be fancy, babe. Anything is good,” She smiled and pulled Lucy back to her, her mouth hovering just above her ear. “Besides, it’s quite sexy thinking about you cooking for me.” Lucy felt heat rush to her cheeks as Emily’s hands held her in place at her waist, playing with the waistband of her leggings.

“Like I said earlier, unless you want more hickeys to hide, I’d stop.” She warned her.

“You’re no fun.” She groaned, and Lucy laughed loudly, pushing her hands away and going over to her wardrobe to pick out some clothes for the day.

“Hey… Do you mind if I take a shower?” Emily asked sheepishly. 

“You don’t even need to ask, there’s a spare toothbrush in a packet under the sink as well if you need it.” Lucy smiled, rifling through her closet.

“Thanks.” Emily pressed a kiss to Lucy’s cheek and grabbed her jeans as she walked past her to go to the bathroom. 

Lucy waited patiently for Emily to finish her shower by making her bed and picking out an outfit for the day, deciding on a pair of black jeans, a black t-shirt and an oversized blue flannel to go over the top. She laid them out on the bed and then grabbed her phone, finally answering the text from Garcia that she’d sent this morning.

GARCIA – THANK GOD!! I was so worried, you sure you’re okay?? Xxx

LUCY – Yeah, I’m fine. I’ve had some sleep, so I feel a lot better xxx

GARCIA – Call me later? Xxx

LUCY – Promise xxx

The sound of the bathroom door shutting and footsteps through the hall made Lucy tilt her head up to see Emily walk into the room, dressed in her jeans and her bra but no t-shirt. Lucy’s eyes roamed the exposed skin.

“Could I borrow a shirt? I don’t like wearing the same one I slept in,” She asked whilst Lucy nodded wordlessly. 

“Er-… Yeah sure, in my drawers.” She finally responded after a second. Emily smiled in response, walking over to the drawers and picking out a t-shirt – selecting one of Lucy’s favourites; a black t-shirt with a drawn rose embroidered in the corner. She slid into the t-shirt with ease and tucked in into her jeans and then glanced back to Lucy who was still watching.

“I’m going to start charging if you keep staring.” She teased.

“It’s your fault technically.” Lucy prompted and Emily stared at her, a smile on her face but with furrowed brows.

“Why is it my fault?” She questioned and Lucy laughed, getting up and walking over to her, placing her hands on her chest.

“Because you’re beautiful,” She pressed a light kiss on the hickey visible on her neck. “And you look so good in my clothes.” Another kiss was dropped on the exposed skin. 

“I might have to keep this then.” She smirked.

“You can, it looks better on you than it does me,” She captured Emily’s lips in a soft, slow kiss. As she pulled back, she grabbed the clothes off the bed and smiled at Emily.

“I’m gonna shower, there’s a hairdryer over there if you want to use it,” She pointed over at the dressing table in the corner of her room. “Don’t miss me too much.” Emily laughed and shook her head, watching Lucy practically skip out of bedroom. 

As Emily watched her go, she fully took in the sight of Lucy’s bedroom. It was the only bedroom in the apartment, but it was too big for one person; so, it became apparent that she was waiting for someone to move in, and that someone was Elle. Her king-size bed took place on the back wall, right in the centre with bedside table’s either side of it, each having a lamp on. Then at the mid-point of the room, there was a wardrobe and chest of drawers opposite one another and then at the front she’d sat a small dressing table with a mirror on it. The walls were painted a pastel green, and the carpet was a light grey and plush under Emily’s toes. She could see the marks on the walls where photos had been hung, but had been taken down – photos of Elle, Emily had guessed. 

The one thing in the room she really did notice was the picture on her bedside table. It was framed in black frame, so contrasting with the white furniture in the room, and inside the frame was the photo of Garcia, Emily, Lucy and JJ when they went shopping for the first time all together. She recognised it as she had the same photo on her desk at work, the one Lucy had written on before she left to go to Chicago. 

She stared at the photo for a little while, a smile forming on her face as she remembered all the memories, before going over to her dressing table and starting to brush through her hair, and then beginning to dry it.

As she finished drying her locks, Lucy leaned against the doorway staring at her with an affectionate smile on her face; not caring that she’d been caught. As Emily eyed her body, she took in Lucy’s appearance. Her short auburn hair was damp, small droplets of water occasionally running down onto her skin; she wore a white bralette and her black jeans whilst she held the t-shirt and flannel in her hands. Her body had changed since before Chicago, she was always slim, but her stomach was now toned; her abs outlined. The muscles on her arms had grown which made her old t-shirts look tighter on her (which Emily didn’t mind in the slightest) and her jawline had somehow become sharper. The only thing Emily didn’t like was the hair colour, the hair cut however really suited her; and the tattoos too, she really liked those.

“And you were calling me out for staring.” She teased.

“You’re not wearing your t-shirt.” Emily stated, and immediately regretted saying it.

“Woah, stating the obvious there, Prentiss.” Lucy said sarcastically, her smug smile brighter than ever. Emily blushed furiously and turned away, causing Lucy to chuckle to herself whilst walking over to Emily; draping her arms around her shoulders and then dropping a kiss to the top of her head.

“I like the tattoos.” Emily mumbled and Lucy beamed.

“Really? I wasn’t sure you’d like them.” Emily’s heart melted at the excitement in Lucy’s voice.

“I do like them. I really like them.” She admitted, a flirty hint to her tone which made Lucy raise an eyebrow from behind her.

“Noted: Stop wearing t-shirts when you’re around.” She joked and Emily laughed.

“Yeah, I’m sure Hotch would appreciate that in the office.” Lucy withdrew her arms and grabbed the brush on the side and ran it through her hair whilst laughing.

“I’m sure he’d understand if I just explained, he’s a reasonable guy.” She thought out loud and Emily snorted.

“Yeah, because it won’t be at all distracting.” 

“Only for you.” Lucy pointed out, setting the brush back and grabbing some hair products sitting on the dresser and spraying them into her hair.

“I’m not so sure, I feel like Morgan would have a field day if you didn’t wear a shirt to work.” She explained, watching Lucy brush her hair through once again with the product in it.

“Babe, he knows I’m gay.” She stated, a puzzled look on her face.

“Doesn’t stop him looking.” Emily’s voice had a bite to it, causing Lucy to smirk.

“Ahh... Is that jealousy I hear?” Lucy teased her gently, nudging her shoulder with her elbow. Emily frowned and shook her head.

“No, what is there to be jealous of?” She questioned, and Lucy smiled at her.

“Nothing, because the only person I’m interested in is you.” Lucy replied, her tone serious. Emily couldn’t help the grin that escaped on her face, and warmth spread through her chest. She watched at Lucy poked her hair behind her ears and then sighed, making Emily frown at her in concern.

“What’s up?” She asked.

“I really fucking hate this hair colour,” She stated simply, and Emily breathed a heavy sigh of relief, which made Lucy smile in relief too. “Oh, thank God you hate it too, I was worried I’d have to keep it.”

“Even if I liked it, I wouldn’t have forced you to keep it. I miss the brown hair you had though.” Emily got up from the seat and ran her fingers through Lucy’s damp locks.

“I miss it too; god knows what made Robson choose this colour.” She laughed sadly. Emily’s hand left her hair and went to rubbing circles on her back.

“You two were close?” She asked and she shrugged.

“Not really, I just feel responsible – you know? Like I feel like I could’ve done something to help.” She sighed and Emily shook her head furiously.

“Baby, you can’t blame yourself. It’s not your fault, you did everything you could.” She reassured, kissing her forehead. 

“It’s hard.” Lucy admitted.

“I know, but none of it is your fault; I promise you that.” She said, her voice stern in a calming way. Lucy nodded and pressed a quick peck to Emily’s lips before looking at her hair in the mirror again.

“… I don’t suppose you want to dye my hair with me, do you? I’m really fucking sick of seeing it looking like this.” She changed the subject fast. Emily knew this was her defence mechanism for avoiding the hurt she was feeling, but she’d accept it for now; she didn’t want to pressure Lucy into talking about it when she wasn’t ready.

“Shouldn’t you just go and get it done by a professional?” She suggested and Lucy shook her head.

“I always used to use box dye on my hair back when I was a kid, I’ve probably used every hair dye brand possible. Way cheaper.” 

“And if it goes wrong...” Emily said, and Lucy shrugged.

“It shouldn’t if we read the instructions and do it properly, trust me; I know when dye has or hasn’t worked.” Emily’s eyes widened.

“Please, please tell me there are pictures.” She prayed and Lucy laughed and nodded.

“If you help me dye my hair, I’ll show you all the pictures from secondary school and uni.” Lucy bribed.

“Done.” Emily agreed with a short laugh, and then pressed her lips to Lucy’s.

Lucy gently kicked her front door open and held it open for Emily as they both carried two paper bags filled with groceries through. They both went through the open-plan dining room and placed them in the kitchen, and then started going through the bag, starting to put everything away. Surprisingly, Emily had a good sense of where Lucy put things and it didn’t take long until the fridge was stocked, and the cupboards were filled. 

“So… Food first or hair dye?” Emily asked as she leaned against the kitchen counter. 

“Food, I don’t know about you but I’m starving.” Lucy decided and Emily nodded and then jumped up to sit on the counter and watched Lucy tie her bobbed hair into a small ponytail.

“So, I can cook you a breakfast food, or I can cook you something different. What are you feeling?” She smiled up at Emily.

“Pancakes?” She suggested and Lucy grinned.

“I would normally say they’re a ‘thank you for last night’ food, however I’m willing to make an exception,” Emily raised her eyebrow suggestively with a flirty smile on her face. “If you keep looking at me like that you aren’t going to get your pancakes.” Lucy ducked her head down and picked out some flour and sugar.

“That’s the point…” She smirked, continuing to watch her begin measuring out the flour and sugar.

“You’re terrible.” Lucy deadpanned and Emily laughed. Lucy continued measuring the ingredients out and then mixing them together. Every now and then Lucy would glance up and smile at Emily as she sat contently on the kitchen counters, watching her prepare their food.

“Have you tried to call your mom yet?” Emily asked.

“Nah, haven’t done it yet. She’ll only worry, so I’ll just bring it up at Christmas if her and Avery are coming home.” Lucy replied nonchalantly.

“Avery’s your older brother, right?” She checked, and Lucy nodded with a bright smile.

“Yeah… He’s going to kill me when he finds out, hence why there is no point in telling them now.” She said and Emily frowned at her.

“Surely it’s better to tell them now than it is to wait till Christmas. Also, aren’t they concerned as you haven’t called them in five months.” She mentioned and Lucy shrugged.

“My mum is no-communication at the moment and we rarely write to each other, so it won’t be out of the blue, and my older brother is moving around different camps a lot, so it’s kinda normal when we don’t talk as much.” She explained as she walked over and grabbed a frying pan from one of the cupboards.

“You miss them?” 

“Every day, but I’m so used to them being away that sometimes I don’t think about it. I do wish I could see them more than once a year.” She answered honestly.

“They sound like good people.” She complimented.

“They are,” Lucy smiled up at her. “They’d really like you.” A blush rose on Emily’s cheeks.

“Then I hope to meet them one day.” She said nervously. Lucy leaned over the counter and pressed a delicate kiss on Emily’s lips.

“I hope so too.” She agreed, and then returned to cooking. She walked over to the hobs and heated the frying pan.

“Now… Crucial question, chocolate chips or banana… Or both?” Emily grinned.

“Chocolate chips, always.” 

“Correct answer.” Lucy grinned back and reached up to grab some chocolate chips. As she poured the mixture into the pan, she dropped a generous handful of chocolate chips into it. After a short while and a couple of flirty comments exchanged between the pair, Lucy dished up their pancakes and instead of sitting at the dining table, they decided to sit on top of the kitchen counters and eat there instead. Lucy handed Emily a plate and some cutlery and watched her as she took her first bite.

“They good?” Lucy questioned and Emily nodded furiously.

“So good! You’ve been holding out on me, Copeland.” She grinned, and Lucy shrugged, taking a bite of her own food but couldn’t hide the delighted smile on her face.

“Glad I’ve impressed, Prentiss.” She teased and Emily rolled her eyes, taking another bite of her pancakes. Both of them ate in a blissful silence, occasionally stealing glances at one another.

After they piled all the dishes to one side, Emily got the hair dye out and ready whilst Lucy went upstairs and got changed into some old clothes, and she came down from her bedroom in a black vest and a pair of black shorts, towels in hand. Emily couldn’t help but ogle at Lucy’s legs for a moment, but she knew she’d already been caught when Lucy smirked at her.

“Like what you see, Prentiss?” She quirked an eyebrow at her.

“You know I do, Copeland.” She flirted back with a grin on her face. Lucy mirrored her grin, dropping a quick kiss on her lips as she walked past her.

“Considering I’m keeping the terms of the deal, where are the photos?” She asked, and Lucy rolled her eyes at her and pointed over to a cabinet in the corner of the room.

“Bottom shelf, my yearbook and photo albums from school and uni are all there.” Emily almost skipped over to the cabinet and dragged out the albums.

“I am so excited to see these.” She said and Lucy chuckled.

“Yeah, there are some awful photos in there, I can’t believe I’m letting you look through them.” 

“Nah, I bet you were cute!” She beamed and she laughed and shook her head.

“I’ll tell what I was in secondary school… Straight.” Lucy told her and Emily’s eyes widened.

“No way!” She said in shock and Lucy nodded.

“I dated a few boys in secondary school, came out at 15 to my friends and I forgot I technically had a boyfriend at the time… Was a bit awkward for a while after that.” She told the story as she put the plastic gloves on and started mixing the dye together.

“So now I have to worry about jealous ex-boyfriends as well as jealous ex-girlfriends.” Emily teased her and she snorted.

“Trust me you have absolutely nothing to worry about. I think my last ex-girlfriend was well over two years ago, and I dated boys in my teenage years; I highly doubt they’re still pining.” 

“You never know,” She reminded, and Lucy laughed and shook her head, taking a seat at the dining table and Emily took a seat next to her. “So, you know I’m just gonna sit here and flip through the photos whilst you dye your hair – right?” 

“Yeah I gathered.” Lucy grinned, and started applying the dye to her roots. 

So, they sat there together for a while, Emily flicking through all the photo albums and yearbooks whilst Lucy dyed her hair. Whilst Lucy was waiting for the dye to develop, she showed Emily the different hair colours she’d done.

“Before joining the academy, I used to dye my hair all the way through secondary school and uni. I think my favourite was the pink when I was studying at uni.” She got a picture out of the album and showed it to her. Lucy had long hair, but it was bright, neon pink, and she was standing in a group of people; all of them hugging each other.

“Woah, it was bright! Are you still friends with all these people?” She questioned as she pointed at each person in the photograph.

“Yeah. Honestly, I’m not sure what I’d have done without them then. I went to university in England and both my mum and brother had been deployed so I was alone, but they made me feel like I wasn’t.” She smiled.

“You didn’t go to college in the US, even though you were living with your dad?” 

“Nope. I was dead set on going back to England. My dad and I weren’t on the best of terms and I just wanted to get away, so I moved back.” She explained.

“So, you could re-invent yourself…” Emily understood, tracing the photo with her fingertips.

“Yeah exactly. I didn’t go back for Thanksgiving in my first year, I was too busy getting black out drunk with my friends that I didn’t think about it; I never realised it hurt my dad when I didn’t show up.” Lucy sighed sadly.

“I’m sure he understands now, you were adjusting to a new life. It’s a big change and when you’re that age you think every decision you make is life or death.” She reassured.

“We’ve talked about it. He only ever wanted what was best for me and my brother, but it’s just hard to understand that when you’re 18. He didn’t like the way I was living in England, which was understandable in the circumstances,” She added, and Emily frowned in confusion, urging her to continue. “I drank, a lot. I was going out every other night with my friends and 9 times out of 10 I was throwing my guts up by the end of the night. I barely ate, slept and I was a mess.” 

“What changed? Normally people who lead those lives have something happen to them to change their behaviour.” She asked carefully, not wanting to push Lucy into answering.

“I ended up in A&E with alcohol poisoning one night, had my stomach pumped, kept me in overnight as I was still super sick, quite scary. Wasn’t a pleasant experience, so I stopped going so hard every night. I still went out every now and then, but I started to put my head down and work hard.” She told her.

“Ouch.” She commented and Lucy laughed, nodding in agreement.

“Yeah, it was horrible.” 

“I don’t even want to think about it, makes me feel sick.” Emily grimaced and Lucy nodded again.

“Yep, I wouldn’t ever do it again… Ooh, this was a good night – we did a Halloween costume party at our dorm, my best friend here went as Lara Croft, and I went as a vampire.” Lucy picked up a photo and handed it to Emily who just laughed.

“Nerd.” She teased and Lucy shrugged with a grin on her face.

“Say whatever you like, but me and my friends felt SO cool in those costumes…” She trailed off and Emily just grinned at her as she stared at the photo.

They continued flicking through more photographs for a while before Lucy checked the time and decided it was time to wash the dye off her head. Emily put the photos back in the albums and put them back into the cabinet, then handed Lucy the towels and pressed a kiss to her cheek.

“Have fun.” She commented and Lucy grinned.

“I’ll be about 15 minutes tops, wanna watch a movie afterwards?” She asked.

“Sure, what’re you in the mood for?” 

“You decide, I’m gonna go wash this off and regain whatever dignity I have left.” Lucy waved her off and started racing upstairs.

“Not a lot then, babe.” Emily joked and heard Lucy gasp, making her laugh loudly. Lucy disappeared upstairs and Emily ventured into the lounge and started going through the bookshelf in the left corner of the room, trying to pick out a movie. She flicked through them all and wasn’t sure what to pick, but then heard a thundering knock at the door. 

She walked out of the lounge and opened the door, peering round to see Garcia standing there with a smile on her face and a bag of food in her hands.

“Hey, I figured you’d be here. I knew Lucy wouldn’t have a lot of food, so I thought I’d come and bring round some bits.” She smiled. Emily smiled back, forgetting completely about the clear hickeys on her neck and opening the door fully, allowing Garcia to come into the apartment. They walked into the kitchen and she laid the paper bag on the counter and then stared up at Emily, a frown appearing on her face.

“Lucy is just in the shower; she’ll be down in a few minutes,” Emily told her, and Garcia nodded wordlessly, still staring at Emily. “What’s wrong?” 

“Have you seen your neck?” She glanced up and down and then Emily’s hand immediately flew to it.

“I… Er….” She stammered.

“Who’s the guy??” She asked and Emily immediately felt relief rush into her veins, glad that she hadn’t jumped to conclusions.

“Oh… It was in a bar last night; it didn’t mean anything.” She lied quickly.

“Was he at least good?” Garcia smirked and Emily couldn’t help biting her lip in memory of last night. “Oh, he was really good. Nice one, Prentiss!”

Emily opened her mouth to reply, but heard footsteps coming downstairs and she was hoping and praying that Lucy had a shirt on. Her head poked around the corner and she was wearing her vest tucked into the shorts like before, the bruising apparent on her collar bone. As soon as Lucy locked eyes with Garcia and Emily, her eyes widened and knew she was in trouble. Garcia’s eyes swiftly went left to right, checking Emily and Lucy before squealing.

“It wasn’t just some random guy! You two…” She trailed off, her voice squeaking. Emily glanced at Lucy who still looked like a deer caught in headlights. “When were you guys going to say anything??” 

Emily glanced over at Lucy who just stared back at the both of them, clearly still in shock.

“It’s new… Like very new, so please just don’t say anything to others yet; especially Morgan.” Emily begged.

“Please, Pen.” Lucy pleaded, finally finding her voice.

“… Fine, but both of you two owe me an explanation! How long?” She conceded.

“Since I was in the hospital in Chicago.” She answered, stealing a glance at Emily who just smiled back at her.

“You guys!! I knew something was going on.” She squealed, reaching out and embracing Lucy tightly – avoiding her injuries.

“You’re only the second person to know, so please just make sure the others don’t find out.” Emily said.

“Wait, who else knows?” She questioned.

“Rossi. He figured it out at the hospital when she was brought in.” She explained. 

“Guys, you know everyone would be happy that you finally got together, you’re not worried about their reactions, are you?” Garcia sounded concerned.

“No… It’s just we want to have some time to ourselves before we tell everyone, that’s all.” Lucy explained carefully and Garcia nodded in understanding.

“Okay… Fine, I won’t say a word. But be careful around Morgan, he’s already suspicious; and he’ll have a field day with those.” She pointed towards Emily’s hickeys, causing her to blush.

“Yeah we’ll have to come up with a cover story for those.” Lucy agreed, wiggling her eyebrows at Emily, making her scoff in mock-annoyance.

“Well I shall leave you beauties to it, but shopping soon – please?” Garcia pleaded and both Emily and Lucy nodded.

“Of course, Pen. Thank you for the food, and we’ll organise something next week?” Lucy beamed at her after glancing at the other paper bag, seeing an assortment of all her favourite snacks.

“You better. Feel better soon sweetie,” She hugged Lucy again and walked over to the front door with both Emily and Lucy behind her. “I’m really happy for the both of you, you deserve this.”

“Thank you.” Emily smiled, allowing herself to wrap an arm around Lucy’s waist. Lucy smiled at the affection, and waved Garcia off as she left their apartment and then shut the door with a sigh of relief.

“So… That was awkward.” Emily said.

“Yeah, just a little bit… I just hope she doesn’t tell anyone.” Lucy leaned into Emily’s shoulder.

“She won’t. It’s going to be a struggle, but she’ll manage, she knows how much this means to us.” She reassured, pressing a lingering kiss into Lucy’s damp hair. She pulled away and then properly looked, the auburn had successfully gone, and her hair had gone back to a chocolate brown.

“Better right?” Lucy suggested.

“Much.” Emily answered, using her free hand to tilt Lucy’s head up and capturing her lips into a kiss. Lucy’s arms snaked around her waist and tugged her closer as she nibbled on her bottom lip, asking for entrance. Instead of granting it, Emily gently pushed Lucy to the wall and pinned her there, using her surprised gasp as an opportunity to invade with her tongue; enjoying the sweet whimpers that escaped as she roamed her mouth. 

Eventually they pulled back, both breathing heavily and their cheeks flush.

“Come on, let’s watch that movie.” Lucy tugged at Emily’s hand, leading her to the lounge.

“Bold of you to assume I’m going to be watching the movie.” Emily whispered with a mischievous glint in her eye.


	14. date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> emily and lucy finally find the time to have their first date

It had been a long two weeks since Lucy had last seen Emily. Since Garcia had found about the two of them, Emily had barely stopped working – cases piling up and with them still a team member down it was getting increasingly worse. They’d had their first date planned last week, but Emily cancelled last minute due to a case and then it happened another two times after that. She felt awful, but Lucy completely understood, unfortunately it was the perks of the job; and Lucy was itching to get back anyway, so whenever Emily called when they were on a case and she could help, it did make the fact that she’d not seen her in two weeks a bit better.

The good news was Lucy had gotten her stitches out, but they’d not cleared her to be in the field, but she could go back in and help with Garcia, so tomorrow would be Lucy’s first day back at the BAU for nearly six months. Of course, she was excited but a part of her was also terrified; what if things had changed dramatically since she left? She didn’t want to upset the team’s dynamic, and she was worried that maybe she wouldn’t fit in anymore. She also hadn’t told Emily that her first day back would be tomorrow as they hadn’t spoken since yesterday evening; Emily had just got back from a case and she was exhausted, so they didn’t talk for long – but it was nice to just hear her voice. 

It was 9am on a Monday morning and Lucy had gotten up, dressed and was getting ready to go for her first run since she’d been in the hospital. She’d put on a pair of leggings, a vest top and then her running trainers, and then grabbed her phone and went to attach it to her armband, but saw she had a text from Emily.

EMILY – Please tell me you don’t have plans this evening.

Lucy screwed up her face in confusion before tapping out a quick reply.

LUCY – No… Dare I ask why? 

It didn’t take Emily long to text back.

EMILY – We’re going out for dinner. I’ll come to yours at 6.30, dress nice ;) 

LUCY – You got an evening off?? I’m surprised.

EMILY – Hotch was feeling generous. 

LUCY – I won’t complain, see you then :) 

EMILY – Can’t wait.

The grin that spread across Lucy’s face was infectious, and she couldn’t wait. Their first date, that hopefully will go ahead uninterrupted. She attached her phone to armband and enjoyed the extra spring in her step as she locked up the apartment and got into the elevator.

As she got to the reception desk, she put her headphones on, started blasting her workout playlist and jogged off.

“Rossi… Can you do me a favour?” Emily asked as she leaned against the door to his office.

“Depends what you’re asking?” He eyed her suspiciously, putting his pen down from the file he was writing in and closed it up. Emily took a couple steps inside the office and shut the door behind her, then leaned on the chair opposite him.

“I’m taking Lucy out tonight, our first date… I was wondering if you knew anywhere that would be good?” She questioned him sheepishly.

“Because I’ve had three wives?” He mentioned, his eyebrow raised.

“Because you’re Italian, surely you know some good places…. And because you’ve had three wives.” Emily confessed, a light smile playing on her lips as she joked with the older agent.

He grumbled but had a small smile on his lips as he did so.

“What’re you looking for? Somewhere small and private, or a bigger, nicer place?” He asked, leaning backwards in his desk chair.

“Probably smaller, she’s not into the big, fancy places.” Emily decided and he nodded.

“There’s a couple secluded places I know downtown, give me a second.” He began scribbling down a list of names and numbers on a post-it note, and then handing it to Emily.

“Here., I recommend the second one, I think you’ll both like that one the most. Fantastic wine list too.” He suggested as he watched Emily scan the post-it.

“Thanks, Rossi. I owe you one.” Emily said, a look of pure relief on her face as she finally knew where to go. She turned to leave.

“You know she’d be happy wherever you took her, right?” Rossi stated and she spun back around and nodded.

“I know, it’s just I wanted to do something special. It’s our first date, and it’s been rough for her these last months… I just want her to have a good night.” Emily explained.

“Ah, young love.” He teased, a grin on his face as Emily groaned in annoyance, opening his office door and briskly leaving whilst he chuckled to himself.

As she got into the bullpen, she looked over the post-it again and started putting the number onto her phone.

“Ooh, what’s this?” Morgan asked suspiciously, swiping the post-it out of her hand.

“Morgan, give it back.” Her voice was stern, clearly not in the mood to play his games.

“Rossi’s recommendations for restaurants? You got a date, Prentiss?” He teased, giving her the post-it back.

“None of your business.” She replied, continuing to dial the number for the second place.

“Oh, come on, Emily. Is it the same guy who gave you those hickeys a couple weeks ago?” He asked, and then took Emily’s silence of confirmation. “Seeing him again? I thought you said it was a one-time thing.”

“Change of plans.” She answered bluntly, getting up from her desk and heading over to the secluded bit of the bullpen to make the phone call. Luckily, they answered quickly, and she managed to get a reservation in the quietest part of the restaurant for 7, which would work perfectly for herself and Lucy.

She made her way back over to the bullpen with Garcia waiting by her desk and she felt herself groan internally, not wanting to answer a million questions. But she saw the comforting smile on her face and knew she was only trying to help.

“Hey, I just got a very excited text message from a certain someone – wanna see?” She whispered as Emily sat down at her desk. Emily glanced around the bullpen and saw Morgan was too busy bothering Reid, Hotch and Rossi were in their offices and JJ was nowhere to be seen, so she smiled and nodded.

Garcia handed over her phone, and Emily read the first text message that popped up.

LUCY – Guess who has a date :)) can’t wait omg, but what do I wear??? She says dress nice, but nothing looks right?? Please tell me you can help!!xx 

Emily grinned brightly as she saw the text, and then glanced over at Garcia’s pleading face.

“Oh no, I’m not telling you where I’m taking her.” She turned away and started opening up the file on her desk.

“Oh, come on! Just a clue?” She begged, pulling her signature puppy dog-eyes. Emily glanced back and sighed in defeat.

“It’s nowhere fancy, it’s just something nice and low-key.” She confessed, and Garcia only just managed to hold in a squeal of excitement. 

“I’ll head over to her place once we’ve finished up here and help her out, she’s probably freaking out.” She smiled and Emily frowned at her.

“Why would she be freaking out?” She was curious, also a little bit worried. She didn’t make Lucy uncomfortable, did she?

“Oh, sweetie! It’s not a bad thing, it’s a good thing. She’s nervous, this will be your first proper date, right?” Emily nodded in confirmation. “Look, she really likes you; which in my experience means she’s going to be super nervous. It’s a good thing, I promise.” Garcia smiled sweetly at her and Emily nodded again, convincing herself.

“I don’t want her to feel uncomfortable, you know?” She whispered and Garcia shook her head violently.

“And she won’t. She trusts you completely. I don’t think she even trusted Elle fully.” Garcia told her, putting her hand on her shoulder and squeezing tightly. Emily smiled at her gratefully.

“Thanks, Garcia.”

“Text me how it goes.” She smiled brightly at her and took off over to her dark lair, and Emily grinned to herself thinking about how well she’d planned this night ahead.

It was now 4pm, and Lucy was pacing in her apartment waiting for Garcia to show up. After getting back from her run and showering, she’d been desperately trying to find things to do to take her mind off the fact that her first date with Emily was in the evening. She was so excited, but also nervous because she’d not been on a date in a long time; but this was Emily, she was different. So many different worries ran around her head – What if the date didn’t go well and it changed how she felt? What if they go on a couple dates afterwards and they decide they should break up? What if they can’t date because of work?

In Lucy’s eyes, Emily was worth all the effort in the world; but then again, she thought like that with Elle in some ways, but after time she knew that things between the two of them wouldn’t work. With Emily it felt different, as if she didn’t want to think about dating anyone else after her; she was it. And that thought terrified Lucy to her core, because if she screwed this up then she didn’t want anyone else. So, to her, this first date was crucial.

Emily had been dropping her texts throughout the day, saying how excited she was for their date and she couldn’t wait to see Lucy; two weeks away from each other didn’t compare to the months they spent apart, but now they were dating, things were different and there were a lot more feelings involved. 

She’d been wondering all day what to wear – was it a jeans and nice t-shirt place? A dress place? (she hoped not, Lucy didn’t wear dresses). She’d gone through her wardrobe twice before giving up and texting Garcia, asking for help which of course she agreed to and said she’d be over as soon as she was done with work for the day. 

Lucy and Garcia had managed to catch up and have coffee together over the past two weeks, so she was now firmly up to date on hers and Emily’s relationship, but she was also the first person she told about Elle confessing her feelings during the operation and afterwards; of course, Garcia was shocked and slightly worried that Lucy was going to hurt Emily’s feelings, but she reassured her that Lucy only had feelings for Emily, and that those feelings for Elle had practically disappeared the day she met Emily. Garcia was ecstatic to hear the extent of Lucy’s feelings, but also to see the grin plastered on her face as she talked about her. Internally, it was killing her not to say anything to Morgan, JJ and Reid because she knew they’d be so happy for them both, but she respected their feelings enough to wait for them to tell them in their own time and she could silently be cheering them on.

It had been surprisingly easy for Lucy to keep their relationship from everyone else. Her and Morgan hadn’t really been hanging out since coming back from Chicago, he still hadn’t fully forgiven her yet and she wasn’t surprised; occasionally he’d send a text checking up but that was it. She’d had many text conversations with Reid, he’d also come over to her apartment and they’d had Doctor Who marathons but never mentioned Emily, and to Lucy’s surprise, Rossi came over one night to keep her company when Emily cancelled on their date the second time around. It was awkward at first, neither of them mentioning their history of not liking each other but eventually they got on quite well; Lucy finally understood why Emily liked him so much, and him already knowing about the relationship made things a lot easier. Hotch was far too busy to stop by, but he’d call and text every now and then to check up on her, and she’d called him the day she got her stitches out and they’d organised her first day back. A small part of Lucy wished that she could keep their relationship private for a lot longer, but with the job they were doing she knew it wouldn’t be possible.

She continued to pace until there was a steady knock at the door, and she flung the door open with a grinning Garcia, her hands holding two iced coffees.

“I come with reinforcements.” She smiled, handing one of them to Lucy and she groaned in relief.

“You’re like my favourite person right now, oh my god.” Garcia smiled bashfully and quickly gave Lucy a hug before coming into her apartment.

“So… How’re you feeling?” She asked, her eyes narrowing and a smirk appearing on her face.

“Terrified, nervous, excited, happy – I don’t know! Like this is so much pressure!” Lucy sighed as they both headed into the lounge and sat down on the plush sofa.

“Honey, why do you feel pressured? You’ve been waiting for this date for two weeks, I thought you’d be excited; you said you were earlier.” Garcia’s voice showed she was concerned.

“I don’t know, Pen. I guess I don’t want to screw it up.” She admitted, her voice quiet with shame.

“Sweetie, you won’t screw it up! Emily really likes you; it would take something huge for her not to be interested. You know that, right?” She explained, inching closer and placing her hand on her back, rubbing small circles.

“I know, it’s just… She’s it for me, I think. Like, if I screw this up, I don’t want to date anyone else. I didn’t feel like that with Elle, or any of the other girls I’ve dated.” Lucy told her, putting her head into her hands and groaning softly.

“You’re not going to screw this up! Luce, look at me,” Garcia urged her softly, and Lucy glanced up from her hands for a moment. “Emily is so excited that she’s finally doing this with you, and she wouldn’t even tell me what she has planned. I mean, I’ve never seen her act this way with anyone she’s dated before.” 

“Really?” She sounded so childlike.

“Really. Now come on, let’s have a look at what clothes you have!” Garcia repeated, and then got up from the sofa and holding out her hand to Lucy, who grinned and accepted her hand. Both of them rushed off, coffee in hand, through her dining area and up to her stairs and into her bedroom. 

“Okayy… You’ve been busy.” Garcia noted as soon as she saw all her clothes strewn about all over the place.

“Help.” Lucy stated, her voice high; making Garcia chuckle as she began to look through all the options, putting her iced coffee on top of the chest of drawers.

“What’re you thinking? Jeans? Trousers? Skirt? Dress?” She ran through all the options as she picked up a black pencil skirt and black skater dress.

“Definitely not a skirt or dress, I think I own one of each and I’m pretty sure I wore them both to a funeral.” Lucy decided quickly, and Garcia immediately threw them to the other side of the room, making Lucy laugh.

“So, you’ve got black jeans, black ripped jeans, blue jeans, blue ripped jeans…” The list went on and on over the different pairs of various jeans that Lucy had, and they both piled them together on one side.

This went on for at least half an hour, both Lucy and Garcia had finished their coffees and Lucy was lying on top of her bed, staring at the ceiling.

“I have too many clothes!” She groaned. “I’m never gonna decide what to wear.” 

“You can never have too many clothes, sssh she didn’t say that!” Garcia whispered to the pair of trousers she was holding. Lucy turned her gaze and frowned at her, a small laugh bubbling, but then she noticed the trousers she was holding.

“Wait, throw me those!” She said and Garcia tossed them over to her, landing just in front of Lucy’s hand. She picked them up and unfolded them and stood up, measuring them against her body.

They were a dark burgundy colour which was her favourite and tapered to her leg, so they fit her figure perfectly. She glanced over to Garcia who just nodded wordlessly, a bright smile on her face.

“I think we’ve found the pants, now for the top.” Lucy stated, an excited grin on her face as she re-folded the trousers and placed them on her bed; then wandering over to her wardrobe to look at the various shirts and bodysuits she had.

“Are you going for sexy or elegant?” Garcia questioned. Lucy stopped for a moment and thought.

“Not sure, I don’t really have that much sexy stuff.” She replied, unsure as she continued thumbing through the clothes hangers. Garcia gasped in shock.

“Oh, we are so going shopping next week.” She told her and Lucy didn’t argue, continuing to thumb through the clothes on the hangers, seeing if anything was taking her fancy.

“You think I’ll need a jacket tonight?” Lucy wondered, grabbing a black denim jacket off its hanger and then showing it to Garcia.

“Hm… It would look great with those pants…” She complimented, and Lucy smiled and threw it over to Garcia who caught it quickly and put it next to the trousers Lucy had picked out earlier.

“But no sign of any shirts or bodysuits that would go with those trousers.” She said, slamming the wardrobe doors with a frustrated sigh.

“T-shirt?” Garcia suggested, getting up from her position on the bed and going over to the chest of drawers.

“Is that too casual?” Lucy questioned suspiciously, and Garcia shook her head.

“No, of course not. In fact, one of the things Emily told me was that the date would be nice and low-key.” She did air quotations as she spoke about it.

“But she told me to dress nice… I want to make a good impression.” She whined and Garcia giggled.

“Luce, you’ve already made a great impression, otherwise she wouldn’t be taking you out… What’s her favourite feature about you?” She answered with another question and Lucy contemplated for a few seconds.

“I don’t think I know… She likes my hair, my tattoos, my legs-….” She trailed off and Garcia couldn’t help but smile at the blush appearing on Lucy’s face as she spoke about it.

“Right, well your legs will look great in those pants and now we need a tight t-shirt that’ll show your tattoos well.” Garcia began rummaging through Lucy’s chest of drawers, throwing different t-shirts into a pile that she didn’t like.

“Are we going for a logo or plain?” Lucy questioned, coming over and putting her hands through the pile that Garcia had thrown out.

“Both would look good, what do you think?” She replied, throwing another t-shirt in such speed that Lucy barely caught it.

“Jesus… Plain I think, I’ve got a nice black t-shirt in there that’s quite tight.” She said, and then turned her attention to the t-shirts in the pile and going through all of them, folding them into a smaller, neater pile whilst Garcia continued to burrow through her t-shirts in search of the one Lucy was talking about it.

“I think I’ve found it!” She announced, chucking it over and it landed perfectly in Lucy’s grasp. Lucy pushed herself off the floor and held it against her body for Garcia to judge.

“Yes!!!” She squealed excitedly and then grabbed the trousers and jacket, handing them to Lucy. “Go try it on!!” 

“Okay! Okay!” Lucy grinned, taking the clothes and rushing to the bathroom to get changed. She stripped off the grey sweatpants she had on and the oversized army t-shirt off, folding them carefully onto the floor and then beginning to put the chosen outfit on. She pulled the black t-shirt over her head and straightened it out, brushing off the dust and bits of loose fabric before gently dressing the trousers over her legs. Lucy tucked the black t-shirt into the trousers, and then knelt down to cuff the trousers so it exposed her ankle and a bit of skin above it. She glanced at herself in the long mirror she had in the bathroom and stared for a few moments; the t-shirt was sitting exactly where she wanted it to, but she tugged at it gently so there was a little bit of extra fabric sitting at her waistline, and the trousers hugged her thighs well and then comfortably sat just above her ankles where she’d cuffed them. She looked good. She felt good. And she couldn’t help but feel like Emily would like the outfit too.

She grabbed the jacket and put it on, and then cuffed the sleeves so her forearm was exposed; leaving two of her tattoos on display and then once she’d take the jacket off, the lower half of her other tattoo would be on show too. She grinned at herself in the mirror before racing off into her bedroom and showing Garcia the outfit.

“What do you think?” She asked, a little bit of her nerves creeping back in as she twirled and showed her the outfit.

“It’s perfect!” Garcia beamed excitedly, bouncing off the bed and running up to her and squeezing her into a tight embrace.

“Phew, thank god. Now I just have to decide what shoes to wear and my makeup and then I’m good.” Lucy was relieved, but also slightly exhausted already.

“Heels?” She asked hesitantly.

“Bold of you to assume I own a pair.” Lucy snorted.

“Okay… Now we seriously need to go shopping.” Garcia struggled with the thought of Lucy not owning a pair of heels.

“I think my white sneakers would look okay, right?” She glanced over to her white trainers that were lined up with her other shoes by her door.

“I think a pair of heels would look better…” Garcia sang as she walked over to the sneakers and picked them up, giving them a once over.

“I told you I don’t own heels; I’d much rather wear boots or sneakers.” Lucy disagreed, taking the sneakers from her hands and taking a seat on her bed as she began to slide them on her feet.

“We could get you a cute pair of boots with a heel when we go shopping?” Garcia prayed silently that it would coax her into a compromise. Lucy glanced up as her fingers began tying the laces and sighed in defeat.

“Fine, but that is as far as it goes.” Garcia squeaked with glee, and then Lucy stood up, twirling in her outfit again. 

“So – opinion?” Lucy quizzed.

“Emily Prentiss won’t know what’s hit her,” She grinned, and Lucy blushed a deep shade of red. “Do some smoky eye makeup and you’ll look amazing, maybe even a red lip too!” 

It was 6:15, and Lucy had just finished putting her makeup on. She’d gone for the makeup Garcia had suggested – a grey smoky eye and then a dark red lip to match the trousers she was wearing, and she’d straightened her hair with one side poked behind her ear. Then, she decided to put some gold hoops in her ears but felt like her neck was bare. As she rummaged through her small jewellery box on her dressing table, she came across a glistening silver chain that had a ring on it – her older brother’s ring. She’d not worn it the day she went to Chicago, and it had laid at the bottom of the box, forgotten. Her brother had given the chain and ring to her when he was deployed, with Lucy being only 18 at the time, he’d dropped out of second year of university and joined up; so, he saw it as an apology gift for not being there for her. Lucy cherished the chain and ring, wearing it every day for nearly ten years, it only felt right to put it on again. 

She lifted the chain from the box and put it around her neck, sealing the clasp so that it dangled proudly just below the neckline of her t-shirt. She then picked up her favourite perfume; a floral mixed with a vanilla scent that wasn’t overbearing. She sprayed the perfume on her forearm, her neck, behind her ears and then on her t-shirt too, savouring the scent as it hit her nostrils. 

She glanced at herself in the mirror one last time, double checking her makeup and then swiping at a few stray hairs to keep them in place before grabbing her keys off the dressing table and escaping the bedroom, turning off all the lights as she did so. As she got downstairs, she glanced at the clock – 6:20. Ten minutes before Emily would be here. The nerves began to bubble in her stomach, and she decided to sit in the lounge, leaving the door open so she could hear the door knock when she arrived. Just as she got comfortable on the sofa, the door knocked. 

Nervously, Lucy slowly got up from the sofa and made her way out of the lounge and to the front door. She unlocked the door and pulled it open, and Emily stood there looking almost as nervous as Lucy felt. Lucy held her breath as she took in her appearance; wearing dark navy jeans that hugged her curves beautifully, a light blue button up shirt tucked into her jeans and a black jacket in her hands. Emily’s eyes widened at Lucy’s outfit, and an in-awe smile settled on her face.

“Hey.” She breathed

“Hey to you too.” Lucy smiled back.

“You ready to go?” She asked.

“Yeah.” Lucy smiled back, turning all the lights off and coming past her and shutting the door behind them, locking it. As she turned back, Emily was staring at her.

“Everything okay?” Lucy questioned; her smile had dropped from her face. Emily took a step closer to her and placed her hand on her waist, and the other hand cupped the back of her neck and she placed a slow, gentle kiss to her lips. Lucy hummed in approval, and her hands wound their way to Emily’s waist. 

They both pulled back after a few moments, and Emily smiled affectionately at her.

“Sorry, just wanted to get that out of the way first. And you look absolutely beautiful.” She whispered, and Lucy blushed before pressing a chaste peck to Emily’s lips.

“You look amazing too. I missed you.” Lucy told her.

“I missed you too, I’m sorry it’s taken so long for us to do this.” She apologised and Lucy shook her head, taking Emily’s hand in hers.

“You don’t need to apologise, Em. I know the job, I’m just glad we get to do this now.” She smiled, squeezing her hand.

“Me too.” Emily squeezed her hand back.

“So… Any clue where we’re going?” Lucy tried and Emily laughed before shaking her head.

“No, it’s a surprise. Come on, Copeland.” She tugged at her hand gently and led her to the elevator.

“Come on, just a tiny one?” She pleaded, and Emily just shook her head.

“Your cute face isn’t going to work on my today, babe. It’s going to stay a surprise.” She repeated, and Lucy sighed, but a smile still lingering on her face.

“How was work?” Lucy asked and Emily shrugged.

“Boring, couldn’t keep my mind off the date… Morgan nearly caught me though.” Emily explained and Lucy raised an eyebrow.

“How’d he do that?” Emily blushed and glanced away.

“He may have seen me planning it, but it’s fine, he still doesn’t have a clue.” She breathed a small sigh of relief.

“Awh, you were planning this at work?” Lucy teased her and Emily rolled her eyes playfully, but gently squeezed Lucy’s hand in hers. The elevator dinged as they reached the reception level and they both stepped out, shoulder to shoulder and hands firmly clasped together. Lucy felt warmth in her chest as they walked out of the building and into the cool breeze. 

“Now, we can walk to the place from here but it’s like 25 minutes away, or we can get a cab. What’re you feeling?” Emily asked her as they came to the road. 

“Hmm, I think I’d like the walk.” Lucy decided, a content smile on her face as the evening sun hit her skin.

“Let’s go then,” Emily tugged Lucy’s hand, but she stayed put for a moment, gazing at Emily’s face. “Something wrong, babe?”

Lucy let go of Emily’s hand and raised her hand to her mouth and wiped it gently, her own lipstick coming off of her lips.

“You had a little something.” Lucy smirked, and Emily blushed before grabbing Lucy’s hand and tugging her gently alongside her. 

“So… Reid said that you two had a few Doctor Who marathons, how was that?” Emily asked and Lucy smiled brightly.

“Yeah, it was nice. I definitely still prefer the new episodes to the old ones though, which Spence definitely doesn’t agree with me on, but it was really nice to just spend some time with him.” She replied.

“I didn’t ever realise how close you two are.” She said as they continued walking down the cobbled pavements.

“We weren’t ever that close, but since Gideon left and then when Rossi joined, I guess we kind of fused together. He and I have a lot more in common than I thought.” She explained and Emily nodded.

“He’s a good guy.” She noted.

“Yeah, he is.” Lucy smiled and Emily nodded with a grin of her own. “He mentioned the two of you got close whilst I was gone.”

“Yeah… I guess it was the only thing I could focus on other than thinking about whatever state you were in.” She admitted and Lucy stopped for a moment and her face dropped. Emily turned, a concerned look on her face.

“I never meant to hurt you, you know that right?” Her voice was quiet, sad. Emily stepped closer to her and cupped her cheeks gently, so Lucy was looking at her.

“Baby, of course I know that. It’s not your fault, you were doing your job.” She cooed gently, pressing a comforting kiss to her forehead.

“I still feel terrible for what I put you guys through.” She sighed and Emily stroked her cheeks tenderly.

“You didn’t know, and don’t blame yourself; there was nothing you could’ve done. I will never hold this against you, I’m just happy that you’re here now and we’re doing this.” Emily said, a warm and affectionate smile across her face.

“Me too, Em. I just wish I hadn’t gone; we wouldn’t have wasted as much time.” Lucy wished and she nodded.

“We’re here now, and that’s what matters.” She said, and then pressed a lingering kiss on Lucy’s lips, then quickly wiping off any stained lipstick away from her lips. Lucy smirked and let out a low laugh, and they both continued walking, Emily’s hand finding Lucy’s again.

They both walked happily together, chatting occasionally but also enjoying the late September sun. It was surprisingly warm, but the breeze hit with a bite on the odd occasion, but Lucy continued holding her jacket in one hand and holding Emily’s hand in the other. Soon enough, they’d reached the restaurant that Emily had picked out. It looked beautiful from the outside, the old, colourful brickwork standing out against the rest of the street, and the warm white string lights wrapped around the trees out front made it just as inviting. Emily took Lucy up the grey, cobbled path upwards to the restaurant and watched Lucy’s reaction as she stared up at the building in awe.

“You like it?” Emily questioned nervously and Lucy nodded rapidly.

“It’s beautiful, Em. I didn’t even know this place was here.” She whispered in amazement. Emily grinned and felt a wave of relief wash over her as they entered the restaurant. The inside was decorated just as beautifully; the stone walls painted grey and white, and a gorgeous oak hardwood floor. The furniture was a dark wood, fitting perfectly with the aesthetic of the restaurant, and string lights hung from the ceiling and windows – giving off a warm, cosy feeling. 

Both of them approached the server at the door and he smiled brightly at them.

“Hi, do you have a reservation?” He asked politely.

“Yes, under Prentiss?” Emily responded, and he flicked through the paper he had in his hand and nodded.

“Yes perfect, you’re in the backroom; if you could follow me.” He gestured with his hands and began to walk off, Emily and Lucy following him. They went through the first dining room and headed into the back which was deserted, only a few tables were in it and one of them was occupied by another couple. He took them up to the table by a big window that looked out onto the street, where the sunset could be seen and placed two menus down on the dark, oak table.

“Here you are. I’ll come back in about five to ten minutes to take your drinks order.” He smiled and took off back into the main dining room as both Lucy and Emily sat down opposite one another.

“How did you find this place? It’s amazing.” Lucy questioned immediately and Emily blushed a little bit before replying.

“I may have had a suggestion from somebody.” She revealed and Lucy raised an eyebrow at her, trying to think before grinning.

“Rossi,” She declared, and Emily nodded. “You can’t deny that man doesn’t have taste. This place is incredible.” 

“We haven’t tried the food yet.” She mentioned.

“You think Rossi would recommend a place with bad food?” She asked and Emily laughed, shaking her head.

“No, he wouldn’t.” She said, opening the menu in front of her. They both stayed in a comfortable silence whilst they flicked through the menu together, looking at different wines and drinks they could have for the evening. 

“Red, Rosé or White?” Emily asked, a smirk on her face as she shut the menu.

“Red I think.” Lucy decided.

“Very nice choice.” She agreed.

“Same for you?” She asked her and she nodded. 

“Great minds think alike.” Lucy joked and Emily chuckled, shaking her head but a warm and loving smile upon her face.

A few minutes later, the waiter came back and Emily ordered them a bottle of nice red wine to share between the both of them and he left quickly, and then returned a few moments later with two large wine glasses and the bottle; then pouring them both a glass and leaving the bottle on the side of the table. He then left with a promise of returning back in another ten minutes to decide what they wanted to eat.

Emily raised her wine glass to Lucy with a smile.

“To our first official date.” She toasted

“To our first official date.” Lucy repeated, and then both clinked their glasses before each tasting a sip of their wine. It had a refreshing, sweet but bitter taste, which Lucy concluded that she liked.

“So, any ideas on what you’d like to eat?” Emily inquired. Lucy scanned the menu, looking at all the delicious pasta, pizza, meat and fish dishes available.

“Not a clue, you?” Lucy fired back; Emily grinned and shook her head.

“Everything sounds amazing, it’s hard to decide.” She agreed. Both of them stayed in a comfortable silence whilst they continued scanning through their menus, trying to make a decision on what to eat.

“I think I’m going to go for the Chicken Alfredo, have you decided?” Lucy smiled at her as she shut the menu.

“Nice, I’m gonna have the Lasagne,” Emily smiled back, shutting her own menu. “So, how’s your day been?”

“Pretty normal, I went for a run this morning which hurt like a bitch. Then I spent hours freaking out before Garcia came over and helped me pick out the outfit for tonight.” Lucy explained and Emily laughed loudly.

“Awh, babe. I didn’t mean to freak you out, and you look incredible.” She complimented.

“You like it?” Lucy smiled bashfully. Emily smirked and quirked an eyebrow at her.

“I really like it, but you’d look better without it,” Her tone of voice dropped low and sultry. Lucy swallowed hard and turned away to hide the blush rising in her cheeks. “No need to hide from me, kitten.” She emphasised the nickname.

“You’re really doing this here, Em? Jesus Christ.” Lucy groaned and Emily laughed, no blush on her face as she clearly wasn’t bothered by what she was doing.

“What? I’m not doing anything.” She feigned innocence and Lucy rolled her eyes, trying desperately to continue to hide the red on her cheeks. Just as Lucy went to bite back a reply, the waiter came over to their table and they ordered their food, he luckily didn’t comment on why Lucy’s cheeks were so red.

“Oh dear, Copeland. You’re going to have to keep up if you want to make it through dinner.” Emily flirted and Lucy rolled her eyes again.

“You need to stop if I’m going to make it through dinner.” She retorted, grasping her wine glass and taking a sip of the red liquid.

“Hmm, we’ll see.” She smirked back, taking a sip of her own wine. Both of them sat there quietly for a few moments, watching each other closely.

“Something I should probably tell you… I’m back in the office tomorrow.” Lucy told her, and Emily’s eyes lit up in excitement, but she could tell there was a bit of hesitation on her face. 

“Babe, that’s great!” She beamed.

“I’m not back fully, I’ll be stuck to my desk and helping Pen until medical clear me.” Lucy smiled softly at her concern.

“I won’t lie to you and say I’m unhappy about that.” She admitted and Lucy nodded.

“I’m kinda glad too, I want to warm myself up to it first.” She agreed, and Emily put her hand out on the table and gestured at Lucy. Lucy put her hand out and Emily entwined them together on top of the table.

“I can’t wait for you to be back in the field with me, but I would be worried if you just jumped straight back in.” She told her, and Lucy nodded in understanding.

“Yeah, I know. I’m just happy to be back to some kind of normality.” Lucy said and Emily nodded with a smile.

“Well, I’m going to be happy to come home to you afterwards.” She admitted.

“Awh, Emily Prentiss admitting she’ll miss me?” Lucy teased and Emily laughed.

“I’ll admit it to you, but nobody else. I have a reputation to keep up.” She joked, squeezing her hand before pulling away and leaning into the chair.

Lucy smiled back at her and then leaned back in her chair too, glancing outside the window and looking at the sunset. 

“Have you and Morgan sorted things out?” Emily asked her and Lucy sighed before shaking her head sadly.

“No… I mean, I don’t know. We haven’t spoken much since Chicago and I’m pretty sure he’s avoiding me. I get it, I broke his trust but he’s like a brother to me, I miss him.” 

“I’m sorry, Luce… He’ll come around; it’ll just take him.” She reassured.

“I know, I just hope it’s sooner rather than later.” Lucy agreed.

“He will. And besides, you have me. And I think I’m way better because you get much better privileges with me.” Emily joked.

“Oh yeah, and what are those privileges?” She flirted, and Emily smirked.

“How about I give you a run down after dinner?” She flirted back. Lucy bite her lip, and then smiled at her.

“Sounds perfect.” She agreed, and Emily failed to keep the grin off her face. 

They continued chatting about everything and nothing for a little while longer before the waiter showed up with their food. He served it up, and then both of them began eating slowly, savouring the taste of their gorgeous meals.

“This is insane.” Lucy moaned as she took a bite of her pasta.

“I will be thanking Rossi tomorrow.” Emily agreed, taking a bite of her own food.

“Me too, how does he find these places?” Lucy questioned in awe.

“It’s got to be the three wives.” She joked and Lucy laughed, covering her mouth with her hand.

“I was thinking it was more the Italian descent, but now you’ve mentioned the wives I’m inclined to agree.” She agreed, Emily chuckled and nodded; continuing to eat her meal happily.

They both ate in a content silence, filling up their glasses of wine as they continued to eat. Soon enough, they’d finished their meals and nearly finished the wine they’d ordered.

“I don’t know about you, but I am so full.” Lucy laughed, pushing her plate away.

“Yep, definitely full,” Emily agreed, pushing her plate away as well. “However, I was thinking we could get a dessert to share.” 

“Hmm… That is very tempting, but I thought my dessert was sitting in front of me.” Lucy whispered lowly, and Emily’s eyes instantly darkened, a smirk appearing on her face.

“So that’s how you want to play?” She quirked her brow, and Lucy shrugged.

“You started it.” She stated simply.

“And I’ll finish it, make no mistake.” Emily said lowly.

“Understood.” She replied, biting her lip gently as she glanced at Emily’s face. Emily smirked at her, satisfied. The waiter came over and collected their plates and asked if they wanted dessert, but as soon as Emily caught Lucy’s eye, she shook her head and asked for the bill.

Lucy found her phone in her back pocket and checked the time – 8:30, they’d been there for only an hour and a half, but it had gone so quickly.

“Everything okay?” Emily asked, and Lucy smiled at her before nodding.

“Yeah, everything is good.” She replied.

“Good.” She smiled back. The waiter soon came back with the bill, and Emily had already placed her card down before Lucy even had a chance to get hers out of her pocket.

“Em, at least split it.” She said and Emily shook her head furiously.

“Not a chance, I kept cancelling; it’s only fair I pay.” She ignored Lucy’s complaints, and they charged Emily’s card before Lucy could say anything else.

They both got up from the table and grabbed their jackets before going through the dining room and out of the restaurant. As they got outside, the nice, cool breeze hit and the hairs on Lucy’s arms stood up and before she had a chance to put her jacket on, Emily had entwined their fingers together.

“Walk back?” She asked and Lucy smiled with a nod. They both began walking hand in hand down the deserted street together, occasionally glancing away at the scenery as they walked past.

“The sky’s beautiful tonight.” Lucy noted as she stared up at the stars. Emily nodded and then turned her attention to a gate opposite them. Lucy frowned at her.

“What’s up?” She questioned, and Emily smiled softly at her. 

“Come on, this way.” She tugged at Lucy’s hand and she led her through the gate. It was a small park, the only light in it was from the sky and the one streetlight on the path. Emily tugged her over to the swing set and they both sat down on a swing each, staring up at the sky together.

“Wow, you really thought of everything.” Lucy mumbled in awe as she stared at the stars glistening in the evening sky.

“I’ll admit I didn’t plan this, but it works.” She smiled to herself as stared at the sky.

“I used to stare up at the sky when I was back in Seattle, especially when my mum was deployed. I felt like if I looked up at the moon, my mum would be as well; then it wouldn’t feel like she was thousands of miles away.” Lucy revealed.

“You must have missed her a lot when she was first deployed.” Emily noted, and Lucy nodded sadly.

“I’d gotten so used to her being in the same country as me, with her being a trauma surgeon she’d be working at different hospitals across the country, but she was never in a separate continent.” She replied.

“That must’ve been hard to adjust to, especially at 16.” 

“Yeah, it was. I wanted to hate her for it, but I couldn’t, she was just going where she was needed.” 

“But you needed her too, right?” Emily stated, her gaze averted from the sky to Lucy.

“Yeah… But she’s a workaholic, so I understood.” She brushed it away.

“I’m sorry. I know what that’s like.” She apologised, reaching out for Lucy’s hand which she grasped firmly, squeezing it gently.

“It’s okay. England isn’t home anymore; my family is here.” She replied, an affectionate smile on her face.

“My mom and I were never on good terms; it’s gotten a little better since she had a case for us before you came back; but it’s still not great. Home became wherever I could make it.” Emily told her.

“And how’d you feel now?” Lucy asked her.

“The same as you.” She replied, a soft look on her face as she gazed lovingly at Lucy; making her blush.

As they sat watching the sky for an extended amount of time, both of them in a comfortable silence as their hands stayed together, Lucy began to feel a droplet of rain fall onto her neck. Before she could mention it, it started to get heavier.

“Oh, this totally wasn’t the plan.” Emily complained as the rain started to soak into her clothes as it poured down. Emily quickly got up from her swing and then pulled Lucy up from her position. Lucy suddenly became aware of how close their bodies were and as Emily tried to tug her away, she stayed firmly there.

“You okay?... Lucy?” She questioned, worried. Instead of answering, she surged forward and captured Emily’s lips in a fiery kiss; all the sexual tension from dinner powering her as her hands cupped her neck and Emily’s very quickly found their way to Lucy’s waist and roaming her back. She felt light-headed as she nipped Emily’s bottom lip and demanded entrance, which she granted, and then her tongue dominated her mouth; a breathy moan leaving Emily’s mouth only surging her on as she continued her mission. Emily felt powerless, all she could do was moan and sigh as the feeling of Lucy’s mouth on hers. She pulled back to take a breath, before going straight back in and glued their lips together. 

This time Emily wanted to take control, her hands falling from her back down to her rear and squeezing tightly, making Lucy moan into her mouth; Emily seized the opportunity and shoved her tongue inside her mouth, mapping out as much as she could and squeezing Lucy’s ass to make her moan more, and she couldn’t get enough.

Lucy pulled away and pressed her lips to the spot just below Emily’s ear, biting down hard before soothing it with her tongue and Emily moaned out, her hands tightening on Lucy’s skin. The rain had soaked the pair of them, their shirts wet and hair damp.

“Back to my place?” Lucy whispered suggestively next to Emily’s ear, nipping her earlobe afterwards.

“Yes.” Emily answered shortly, her pupils completely blown out and her voice wavering as the desire was setting in. She grabbed Lucy’s hand hard, and they both quickly made their way out of the park and along the street – walking fast and soon enough they made it to Lucy’s apartment complex, both of them soaking wet.

Both of them rushed inside and into the elevator, and as soon as the doors shut Emily pounced on her again, leaving hot, open-mouthed kisses along her jawline and neck, her hands untucking Lucy’s shirt and roaming underneath the skin; all Lucy could do was moan in response.

“You want to quiet down, kitten. I don’t want your whole building to hear how loud I’m fucking you and getting jealous.” She husked, her fingernails digging into Lucy’s flesh on her back. Lucy bit her lip to prevent another moan coming out, and Emily smirked at her and then bit down on the one spot she knew drove Lucy crazy, and a whimper left her lips.

The elevator doors soon flew open, and they briefly separated. They got to her door, and Lucy unlocked it and flicked the lights on before shutting the door behind her, locking it and Emily jumped onto her again. Their mouths fused together and hands roaming each other’s bodies. Emily pulled at Lucy’s thighs, making her jump and wrap her legs around Emily’s waist as they both hungrily kissed each other against the front door. Lucy’s hands left Emily’s neck and started unbuttoning her shirt.

“Upstairs, now.” Lucy breathed into Emily’s ear.

“What? The door isn’t good enough for you?” Emily whispered as her hands squeezed Lucy’s rear harshly, making her moan into her ear. Lucy finished unbuttoning Emily’s shirt and threw it to the floor before capturing Emily’s lips again, both of them furiously grabbing at each other.

“Upstairs please.” Lucy whined desperately, her back arching as she detached their lips for a split second. Emily smirked, pressing a chaste kiss to Lucy’s lips and then gently placing her down. Lucy took her hand gently, and then pulled her to the direction of the bedroom.


End file.
